The Arcane Craftsman
by The White Wulf
Summary: The Heroes, The Nobles, and The Labor Caste. Together they survive. The warriors fight, the nobles lead, and the NPC's sustain them. But what happens when someone breaks that system? The Prestige classes were thought to only belong to heroes. Now an NPC has joined the ranks, not as a warrior, but as a craftsman assisted by the "System". Inspired by "Forged Destiny & Solo Levelling.
1. Chapter 1

The Arcane Craftsman

DISCLAIMER: This story is inspired by RWBY, Solo Levelling, and the great Coer Al'Aran's fanfic "Forged Destiny"! Please enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter One: Awakening **

"Pah…pah…pah".

Heavy breaths escaped a young boy's mouth as he struggled to lift a heavy blade. His eyes narrowed as he finally pointed it towards them.

"I….refuse!"

BOOM BOOOM. They stepped towards this boy, their very movement sending vibrations up his torso. The boy coughed blood as he struggled to breath, he couldn't feel his legs, his vision swam, but even so he refused.

He refused to give up, as delusional as such thoughts were.

"I'm not dying here!"

The boy would have tried to stand.

If he had any legs to stand with. As his blood pooled around him the boy knew his death was certain. But even so he refused! To die pitifully, to die without even trying, no matter how futile the effort, was something the boy just couldn't do. But even with his iron resolve…the boy knew that this was the end.

After all. He was only a blacksmith. The words that denoted his class were grey and plain. It seemed to burn over his head, a reminder of what he was and how inescapable his fate was.

For a blacksmith shouldn't have been here. This place, this dungeon, was a place for warriors, for heroes! Neither of which, was he. He was barely level fifteen, he had no combat skills, and death was a certainty. But even so this young man stared defiantly at the giants that loomed ever closer to him. The doors in the distance closed with an unearthly snap. The room remained lit with blue torches strewn about, their ghastly light illuminating the demonic grins of the monsters before him.

The boy, one Jaune Arc, locked eyes with a lumbering giant that wore a crown. The start of all this agony. And the one that wore the most vile grin amongst its few cohorts.

"I refuse!" yelled the boy "I refuse to give it to you, you hear me! You won't get any satisfaction from me!"

THUNK!

The boy felt his pain cease as he stared at the spear living in his chest. He was lifted off the ground and slammed brutally into the alter that he was once leaning against. His breathing shortened as his world began to vanish.

"I" grumbled the boy "re….fuse…to die….af…raid"

With the last of his will Jaune locked eyes with the giant king and glared with all the hate he could muster. And with that….

His spark vanished. His eyes began to lose their light and the last few moments of his life briefly touched his thoughts.

**-One Hour Ago-**

"Here's another one for ya Porter."

Jaune sighed as he shuffled another item into the backpack he wore. Unlike the rest of his party Jaune carried no weapon. He had no armor. He didn't even have a shield. But why would he? He was after all just a Blacksmith. A lowly NPC that carried all the loot and tools for the party.

"Hurry it up man!"

Jaune looked at the guy, but remained silent. It was for the best after all. It wasn't right for an NPC to talk back to a HERO.

Jaune grimaced as he looked around. His eyes noticing all the raw material around him. Material that he could use to really help his father.

"_If only they'd let me mine it"_ thought Jaune _"than I wouldn't have to risk my neck coming into these places all the time!" _

Jaune noticed a few of the heroes look at him, their eyes inquiring if he was alright. Jaune managed a smile back. While it wasn't unusual for an NPC to be treated…roughly by heroes, it wasn't exactly a common occurrence either. It was nice to know that there were still heroes looking out for him in this place.

"You seem bored."

Jaune focused on the voice and chuckled.

"All this walking isn't exactly a rousing experience."

The girl giggled and shrugged.

"Perhaps. Let me help you with that."

Before Jaune could say anything his body suddenly felt like it was in overdrive. He began to walk in even pace with the party of heroes. Jaune felt his mouth go dry at the realization that he was hit with a skill.

"So that's a REAL skill" mumbled Jaune.

The girl looked at Jaune, confusion written on her face.

"You don't have skills?"

Jaune chuckled.

"What? Of course I do just…none so useful. I mean you hero guys got a ton of useful skills! All I really got are stuff for crafting."

The girl rose an eyebrow.

"Sounds boring. Names Sarah by the way."

Jaune smiled back, happy for the conversation. He noticed that Sarah's class was HEALER. A class well regarded for both its ability to heal and support others. While the girl's name was situated above her own class, most considered it polite not to call another by there name unless introduced.

"Nah" chuckled Jaune "I actually really love what I do. It's just my skills aren't useful in here. Most I could do is heat up some metal or sharpen a blade."

"Is that so? Mind giving this a bit of sharpening?"

Jaune near jumped out his skin as a man handed him a large two handed sword. It was simple in make, but Jaune's eyes gave him all the information he needed.

**BROAD STEEL SWORD (Rank:C)**

**Damage plus 30%**

**DURABILITY: 340/500**

The durability wasn't too bad. But the blade's edge was too dull to cut effectively, regardless of the attack boost it gave. Not to mention that the blade was increadibly fragile for some reason.

"Grind" intoned Jaune, his eyes flashing a dull grey.

With a quick brush of his hands the blood and gore upon the blade slid right off. The dents along the edge smoothed over as the blade was sharpened to a perfect degree. Not too much as to be too weak, but just enough to easily cut through an enemy.

The man beside Jaune whistled in appreciation.

"Now that's a handy skill! Makes my life a lot easier, the damn thing usually takes half an hour to sharpen properly. Names Kraine bud, what's yours?"

Above Kraine's head was the class SWORDSMAN. His words, much like Sarah's, were died a brilliant Azure blue. It was the color of heroes.

"I'm Jaune."

"So, what brings you on our little raid Jaune? I understand as a porter you'd want the money but…usually a Labor caste member doesn't put themselves on the roster?"

Porter. Rather than a class the title was a job that referred to a glorified luggage carrier. It was the Porters responsibility to carry non-essential items for the party. They could carry drops, materials, even excess items like potions and what not. Usually this was a position for newly graduated heroes, not NPC's. For small dungeons there was also little need for a Porter, but today Jaune had unexpectedly been sent on a larger dungeon raid than usual. He had accepted the risks in favor of the larger paycheck and so far it was paying off.

"I have…"

The swordsman smiled as he patted Jaune's shoulder.

"I ain't here to pry it out of ya. Sorry for asking bud."

Jaune sighed.

"Its not that bad. Just that…my father is down with sleep."

The swordsman and healer both cringed.

"Yikes. So you're working for the cure huh."

Jaune nodded.

Sleep was an uncommon status ailment that could be inflicted upon anyone. There wasn't any warning for the status effect, as it occurred while people were unconscious. At its most basic the inflicted would sleep. The problem was that it lasted forever. Due to how this infliction was not inherently damaging, most cure all skills or remove debuffs didn't work on it. Thankfully a cure had been created many eons ago. Heroes who became inflicted were given free and priority treatment.

The labor and Noble caste had to pay for it.

To Jaune it was unfair, but understandable. The world was always besieged by the Grimm and these dungeons. It was the heroes that kept them at bay. Anything that could keep them away from doing their jobs needed to be removed. But even so it irked him to no end how absurdly expensive the cures were. So expensive that plying his and his father's trade for their entire natural lives would never pay off one dose.

And several were needed for his father's unfortunate situation.

"HEY! FORM UP!"

Jaune's thoughts ceased as he rushed as far away from the party as he could go. He managed to find cover over a few rocky formations and peaked out.

As always, heroes were amazing.

The mages fired their incredible magic, the fighters fought with grace and ferocity, while more agile warriors struck from the shadow and disappeared altogether. It was a chaotic dance of brutal efficiency. Yet, instead of envy Jaune felt…admiration. In his youth he wished to be a hero, a part of him still held on to his childish dream. Yet he also missed the sound of the hammer hitting the anvil. The crimson flakes of metal flying off a heated blade. Perhaps it was his class that made him love the forge so much, that made him hear the ringing of metal like a siren's song. It had been quite a few years since Jaune became a porter. As such he had yet to return to the forge and ply his craft in the same time frame. Instead he was here, picking up drops and watching heroes do their bloody work. This group at least seemed to know what they were doing. It was an illuminating experience for Jaune, showing him the difference between the fantasy in his head and the reality before his eyes.

As usual the heroes made quick work and they moved forward as they butchered their way through the dungeon. They were quick and efficient, as any hero should be, but they also happened to be a lot more coordinated than most and as such Jaune felt safer than he normally would. So, Jaune busied himself with collecting materials and magic cores along the way, ripping them out of the monsters with raw strength. The cores, a form of crystalized energy that could be sold for profit, were usually annoying to get out but Jaune's passive allowed him to superheat his own hands and any metal he touched to extreme temperatures. In this instance, it allowed him quick access to the chest area of all the slain monsters, albeit the heat took longer to build up than on metal.

Golems. Goblins. Even large beasts all fell to the party before Jaune. Eventually Jaune felt a pressure and swallowed nervously. Before the group was a large set of doors. It was unusual to Jaune how easily the group was moving through the dungeon, was this perhaps why?

"I really hope the boss isn't too bad." One hero asked.

"Tell me about it. Its always annoying when they heal themselves or have some stupid rage mechanic" said another.

The group around Jaune seemed calm, which eased his nerves somewhat…but still…what was this anxious feeling?

This is not the first boss room Jaune had ever been in, but this held a pressure Jaune never felt amongst the others…was it perhaps because of the higher rank? Jaune took a deep breath and stilled his nerves. This was not the first boss he had ever faced.

He just hoped it wasn't his last.

They opened the door and formed a line. The armored heroes rushed in, their shields and spells ready for anything. The mages stayed behind as the stealth and assassin types flanked between. To Jaune's limited knowledge the formation was as basic as they came. But even so it stood strong. The room was empty, but Jaune stayed near the door, ready to dive away from the combat if necessary. He noticed an Alter lied in the center with many statues surrounding the room itself.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOO"

The mage at the front grunted while Jaune tensed his legs.

"The boss is com!"

THUMP.

Everyone stilled as the beast fell from above, dead. There was a smoldering gaping hole in the center of its chest. It looked like a large gorilla with tusks and horns. It should have been a formidable enemy. Yet it here it was dead.

Dead..and the pressure still bearing its unimaginable weight on Jaune's shoulders. Jaune noticed that the center statue's eyes were a smoldering yellow. It had a crown and sat upon a throne. At the its feet was a large tablet of some sort. One of the rogues was already reading it. Jaune swallowed as he made his way to the leader of the party.

"I don't like this" muttered Jaune "we should leave, now. The boss is dead and the gate is going to close soon."

When a boss fell to heroes the dungeon would normally begin to break down and the portal would shut. But Jaune didn't notice the telltale sign of blue cracks appearing amongst the walls. It was all just so unusual. The leader of the party, a lumbering giant of a man in equally giant armor just gave Jaune a cold stare for all his trouble.

"Did I say you could talk?"

Jaune scowled but remained silent. He didn't miss how the man muttered stupid NPC.

"_And there it is"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune looked up and the man's name was Erik, a Knight class. Jaune sighed at the irony of it. For in his childhood, it was Eric's very class that Jaune so aspired to be. While the party all huddled together, discussing plans or what to expect, Jaune payed closer attention to the walls. He noticed ancient writing aligned across the room. Unlike the rest of the dungeon this circuler room was well made. The stone was smooth and of beautiful make. But the statues were grey and cracked….

And their faces unimaginably detailed.

Yet even as the pressure Jaune felt kept building, the young blacksmith couldn't see any enemies.

"I really don't like this" muttered Jaune.

"_Should I leave?"_ he thought _"I mean, I can just drop the bag and leave this place. The request committie will protect me in such an instance and I'm sure this guys party won't just throw me to the Grimm…"_

THUNK.

Jaune whirled around and noticed that the king statue, seated on a throne and overlooking the entire room, eyes began to glow gold once more and that it's head had tilted down to stare at them. It glowed brighter and brighter….and twisted again to look right at the Swordsman Kriane.

Jaune felt a tingle at the back of his mind. An instinct honed by years of survival within the dungeons. Jaune threw his bag far away and ran. He tackled the swordsman and the healer to the ground. The swordsman Kraine looked at Jaune with immense anger. Jaune felt himself being lifted off the ground by one of the tanks.

"Stupid fucking NPC! What the Fu-"

BZZZT.

Jaune screamed as a yellow burst of energy grazed his back. He fell to the ground clutching his shoulder but not before yelling out a warning.

"HIT THE GROUND!"

Jaune looked to the barbarian and felt his stomach almost empty itself.

For only half of the young woman was still standing. Her legs fell to the ground, no blood leaking from a seared wound. Jaune turned away but the smell alone kept making him nauseous.

"What the hell is going on!" yelled a mage.

Everyone was on the ground, kneeling and shivering in fear save for a few. Thankfully the statue's eyes dimmed and a disgusting smile took its place. The rogue who was reading the tablet had disappeared from where she stood, reappearing before the party, kneeling on the ground.

"The tablet mentioned something about "Worshipping the lord". I think we just entered a trap room."

It was a testament to their experience, or their apathy, for how calmly the leader and this rogue spoke.

"Shit" muttered the Knight "I've heard these places can get tricky. Barb is already dead."

The rogue cursed but quickly focused.

"The next phrase was Praise and give Tribute to the lord."

Jaune looked around and noticed that a number of the statues carried instruments.

"….No" muttered Jaune "That's too obvious".

The rogue turned to him. Her name was Cassandra.

"I thought the same. Everything here is autonomous in some fashion. Not to mention these things simply want to murder us. Anything obvious is likely to get us killed. Not to mention taking too long doing something may also get us killed. I friggen hate this place!"

Everyone nodded and began to quickly discuss what to do. Suddenly a Paladin stood up, sweating and swearing away.

"I'm not dying here because of some stupid hunk of rock! I'm out of here!"

The poor fool ran to the door. The doors that once hung open quickly slammed shut, leaving the young man to pound of the stone doors. He was promptly turned to ash by the king statue. Jaune noticed that its twisted grin just grew even further, a manic light trapped within it's stone eyes.

It gripped his heart, seized his stomach, his legs could barely move and his lungs were barely working. But words kept repeating in his mind. Tribute. Praise. Jaune looked around, his fear causing his vision to swim erratically. But he noticed it quick.

"The statues!" yelled Jaune "ones singing and the other is holding a chest!"

As if responding to Jaune's call the floor beneath these two statues glowed blue. The king began to rise and the soldiers that remained inanimate by its side began to move as well. Cassandra wasted no time running to the chest statue. She grabbed Jaune by the shoulder and was promptly followed by Kraine and Sarah. The four made it to their statue while the others went to the second one.

The Chest statue opened its bounty, while the statue of a singer began to sing. It was an inhuman song. Nearly incomprehensible in sound. Jaune groaned as his shoulder kept bubbling away. The heat from the blast still causing his wound to seamer. Suddenly a relief the likes of which Jaune had never experienced washed over him. Hell, he was pretty sure whatever this was fixed things he didn't even know were broken.

He turned towards Sarah and nodded.

"Thank you."

"No problem" smiled Sarah.

Jaune noticed that her hands were still shaking. Her whole Body was shaking. Kriane was little better;

"I'm gonna get you out of this kid" said Cassandra.

Jaune looked at the Rogue and nodded. The way this woman took charge seemed…practiced. Not a part of her seemed afraid. But Jaune knew that was fake…but damn if it wasn't reassuring.

"_Was I wrong about the Knight?" _

The Knight was not as good a leader as his class would dictate it would seem. Jaune took deep breathes. His heart was still hammering away but he tried to focus.

"What was the last line?"

Cassandra grimaced.

"Your faith will be tested."

Jaune remembered the Altar near the king.

"It's gotta be the Altar. Faith implies something religious. So its gotta be something with the altar. They're moving so slow and not attacking us now. This whole thing seems timed on something, so might as well see what the Altar wants."

Cassandra chuckled.

"You're a lot smarter than I thought you'd be kid. You and me have been on the same wavelength this entire time. You've been right so far, lets see if it holds up."

Cassandra rushed to the altar, her unusual speed carried her and Jaune there in a brief moment. The kings eyes glowed over them and Jaune's heart hammered ever harder as the thing's sick grin somehow grew even deeper. But that was all. The altar exploded in lights of blue, much like when Jaune pointed out the two statues from before.

The others all began to rush to the Altar. Jaune noticed that there were balls of flame surrounding them and tried to find someway to make sense of it. He turned to Cassandra, trying against all odds to keep his head.

"How…how are you so calm!? I'm nearly feaking out here."

Cassandra looked at Jaune, her eyes peering deep into him.

"Panic leads to misjudgments, misjudgments lead to mistakes, and mistakes lead to death. Panicking in this situation does nothing. You've held yourself admirably Blacksmith."

"It's Jaune."

Cassandra smiled.

"Cassandra. When we get out of here, I owe you a drink."

Jaune chuckled and shook his head. According to the stories, it was the Knights and chivalrous classes that were supposed to be the leaders. Yet it was a rogue that seemed to be the most suited to the task at the moment.

This was made evident by the panicked and crazed expression on the Knight's face. His entourage, a group of six more party members, all huddled within the circle, joined quickly by Kraine and Sarah.

"Now what" growled the Knight.

"Now we wait."

"That's suicide!" yelled the Knight "they're moving closer every second! The doors are open!"

"It's a trick" said Cassandra "A lure to bring us out of this circle."

The doors opened even more. An escape from a situation that had escalated to hell in barely a second flat was now made obvious to the party of heroes plus one. It was only natural that one took it.

A small woman, a mage type class called a Pyromancer, rushed to the doors.

"NO WAIT!" yelled Cassandra.

Jaune gripped his fists. Any second now she'd turn to ash….any second now….

And yet, she never did. She reached past the doors and kept running, never looking back. Numerous others quickly followed, all escaping safely. Jaune noticed that the balls of fire began to rapidly decrease in number.

"They made it out" said Jaune "but the timer decreased the more that left."

Cassandra.

"A sacrificial Altar, a timer that lessens with every person that leaves? What the hell does it want?"

"A Sacrifice"

SHINK.

It took a second.

That's all it was. A second for Jaune to realize he had hit the ground.

And that he was missing a leg.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Jaune gripped the stump that was once his left leg, the Knight towering over him.

"JAUNE!"

Sarah rushed to him and tried to heal him. But it would seem her skill only went so far, mearly shutting the wound he had received rather than regrowing his lost limb.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!" yelled Sarah.

Kraine yelled as his sword flashed out to meet the Knights, his blade intent on finding his neck.

"If we need a sacrifice, why not you instead!"  
The knight growled back, his eyes alight with twisted survival.

"Each of us is necessary in the world outside, you know this! That timer is already half gone! Those things are going to cover the door soon. If all of us left the circle it will kill whoever was left in the room."

"You don't know that!" yelled Cassandra.

THe knight whirled on her.

"SHUT UP! Like you said it was a sacrificial altar. One of us has to stay behind. Better the NPC than a Hero."

SHINK.

The Knight yelled as a well-used knife found a weak spot in his armor. It was not enough to hamper or kill. But it hurt all the same.

"You disgust me" growled Cassandra "We are heroes! We protect and Serve!"

"HE KNEW THE RISKS!" yelled Erik.

"THE RISKS OF DYING FROM A STRAY BEAST. NOT AS SOME SACRIFICIAL PAWN!"

The knight growled and began to run for the doors. He too like the others was unimpeded.

"Alright" said Cassandra lifting Jaune "We move as fast as we can for the door, got it. No slowing down and if that asshole Erik is right…well I'm down for haunting his ass for eternity."

Jaune knew the joke was attempted to liven their spirits. The Thief moved. No where near as fast as before, her skill likely in cooldown. But as the four moved as one, Jaune noticed that of the fourteen balls of fire that remained, a solid seven immediately extinguished. It was if time slowed down. The idea that these people would die…

SHOVE.

Cassandra hit the ground as Jaune fell back, just barely in the circle. The remained four balls of fire, stalled. One began to flicker out slowly, slowed down by Jaune's desire to stay.

"WHAT ARE….you…." Cassandra saw the flames. Where once fourteen burned brightly, barely four were left.

"Oh god" muttered Cassandra.

Sarah's face twisted in a grimace of despair and regret. Kraine gripped her shoulders and he stared at the Blacksmith.

"Go" muttered Jaune "please. I feel sick just thinking someone like that Knight gets to escape and you guys don't."

Sure enough, the Knight was long gone. Cassandra moved to reach him but Jaune rose his hand. He pointed at the flames, barely two left now.

"Don't forget" muttered Jaune "you owe me a drink."

Cassandra's eyes closed tightly. She turned away from Jaune and grabbed the two other heroes by the shoulder.

"What's your full name?" asked Cassandra.

"Jaune Arc."  
"…well met Jaune Arc. Well met."

Kraine threw his sword to Jaune. It clattered helplessly by Jaune's side. The young man gripped it as tight as he could, his leg wound reopened from his fall. No words needed to be said. Jaune knew what the gesture meant. Jaune began to shuffle back to the Altar, he blinked as he watched Cassandra active her skill once more. They disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Jaune could see in the distance the three of them having left. The timer of flames died out and Jaune felt his heart quiver.

No.

Jaune grit his teeth.

He was going to die afraid and terrified?

WHO DECIDED THAT?

The sick grins on the face of that demented King statue pissed him off. It didn't matter that it was likely some demented trap, it didn't matter that it likely had zero sense of self, and it didn't matter that Jaune was terrified to the brim.

They wanted him afraid!

They wanted him to despair!?

WHO DECIDED THAT!?

He would not die afraid! He would not grant this thing the satisfaction! He made his choices; he chose to be here! While that asshat of a knight deserved a blade to the throat that didn't change anything. This was the path Jaune Arc walked and where it led. He would face it head on.

"Pah…pah….pah…"

"I….refuse!"

SLAM!

**-Present-**

It was dark. Cold. Lifeless.

Jaune couldn't see.

He couldn't hear.

But oddly enough…he felt peace. He felt…

"**How interesting. Never had one of your kind here before." **

Jaune's felt his world explode into color. The once pitch darkness gave way to what seemed like a cacophony of colors existing against a black canvas. It stilled, revealing what looked like the night sky in all its beautiful glory, stars and all. He whirled around, somehow standing on nothing. He had form and his senses burned back to life.

"Where…the hell am I?"

"**In my domain, little mortal." **

Jaune turned to the voice and swallowed deeply.

"Oh damn" muttered Jaune.

What stood before him was clearly an attempt of human appearance. It was a female as much as Jaune could tell. But its skin was alabaster, its hair as white as snow, and its eyes were a deep crimson red. Strange living markings spread and danced across her form, an oddly amused smile gracing its face. Jaune noticed that a lot of the words he was seeing above her head were all….giberrish. The letters unorganized and twisted. The only thing he could truly tell, was her name.

**SALEM.**

"**I usually see warriors, scholars, nobles. Each come baring demands. Others would summon me with their requests. These are the people I'm used to seeing. Yet…I have no idea what YOU are."**  
"I'm….I'm Jaune".

The being chuckled. A sultry sound that sent shivers down Jaune's spine.

"**Oh no. Your name is not a mystery. Mearly your designation." **

Designation?

Jaune realized quickly what she meant.

"I'm a Blacksmith. A part of the labor caste now…what I'm I doing here miss? What is here even?"

Jaune felt something slither across his brain.

Was he always this open to people?

Salem simply grinned. It was a beautiful but haunting thing. It conveyed her amusement at his words, but her smile was utterly inhuman. Unreadable in her intentions.

"**There's no specific reasoning for you to be here. You simply caught my attention. From time to time your species manages to accomplish that. Nothing more. Whether you keep my attention is up to you." **

Jaune swallowed.

"I uh…I see. So what are you the…devil or something?"

Salem laughed outright.

"**Oh…now that is something I've never been called to my face before. No silly mortal, I am not your idea of a devil. But I am a dealer, when I choose to be."**

Jaune grunted. Salem's eyes rose a tad.

"Sorry" muttered Jaune "I ain't interested in no wishes."

"**Even if I can bring you back?" **

"I died" grunted Jaune "and everything has a cost. Besides a doubt something like you even wants to bother resurrecting someone like me."

Salem was now watching Jaune like a hawk, her experession blank and unreadable.  
**"You do not wish for something. To beg to return, more powerful or better than you were?"**

Jaune shook his head. He closed his eyes, a small headache forming. He knew he shouldn't be talking like this…yet…

Salem snapped her fingers.

"**Tell me the truth. Your truth and nothing but." **

Suddenly Jaune shrugged.

"I already did. I don't desire anything from you. You'd either twist the damn wish or whatever I asked to make my life a living hell, since I think you are the devil, and even if there was no consequence to it I wouldn't take it. I'll live and die by my own two hands! If I can't do it myself than there's no point to it. My life is just that, MINE. I'll live and breathe a craftsman and I'll live and breathe on my own strength. I'm stubborn like that. Of course I want to go back! But…life is what it is. Now take your wishes and FUCK OFF."

Jaune's mouth promptly closed and he felt the hollowest feeling enter his soul. He had a sinking feeling he couldn't control what he said to this creature. But that took a back seat to a far more pressing worry.

"_What did I just say!?" _

It was like a chime. Melodious but dark. It erupted in a vile laughter that both haunted Jaune's soul and wrecked his body in numerous ways that shouldn't have been pleasant…but oddly were. Salem looked at Jaune as if he was a bauble of some kind, suddenly she was right in his face, or rather chest to face.

"**This is simply too new for me!"** chuckled Salem **"never before have I seen so stubborn a creature as you, so…true to their core…do I make you uncomfortable little mortal?" **

Jaune grunted and nodded. Whatever Salem having done to him still having effect. Salem inched closer, her nose almost touching his own, her eyes dark but alluring were sparked with curiosity.

"**Am I so terrifying?" **

"Yes and the fact your tits are right in my face is giving me a rather awkward boner!"

"_OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! DAD RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THAT!"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune felt as if his very sense of self had been overridden by his baser instincts. His eyes locked firmly on the seductive body of the creature before him. It was obvious that this was some sort of God Demon thing. No human woman looked like this but DAAAMN, she was hot. Jaune knew it could read his thoughts on some level. It should have obliterated him for his comments. It should have eaten his soul or something! Instead…she laughed. Salem's laughter echoed throughout the space Jaune found himself in and she suddenly grabbed his face with both hands. Her touch was cool and simultaneously soothing and aggravating. She just continued to chuckle as he twisted his head, inspecting every inch of his face.

"**Oh little entertainer, every moment with you has been an unexpected treat! Most of your kind took whatever I had to offer. Some like yourself caught my attention and I wished to see what else they'd show me. Others summoned me through their rituals for their pathetic wishes. Their lives brought me a small amount of amusement. But you!? Ooh little entertainer, you've proven most delightful. I can't help but wonder what amusement you'll bring me."**

Jaune sweated (can he do that when he's dead?) but narrowed his eyes.

"What on earth are you-URK!"

It was an explosion of energy within him. He fell to his knees and his head felt like it was exploding over and over.

"**What a little mess you'll make when you return. Awaken young black…no, young Craftsman, I'm eager to see what it is you'll do with this new lease on life. Please be more entertaining than your predecessors, my little entertainer." **

Jaune felt like he was being sucked through a hole as he drifted from Salem, his "body" ceased to be as his consciousness faded away. The last thing he heard, was Salem's small laughter.

Jaune felt like he had slammed onto something and opened his eyes screaming.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

The sheets around him fell off and Jaune noticed that he was in a room of white. The nurse before him was shaking in the corner of the room, blabbering about something. Her class, literally Nurse, emboldened in grey let Jaune know she was like him.

Labor Caste.

"I'm….I'm alive" muttered Jaune.

Jaune blinked and shook his head. The nurse got up, screaming about something. Jaune shook his head, his hearing still screwed up.

His vision swam. He could have sworn he was seeing things…because he had a blue box telling him he had mail.

"What the-"

"I see you're awake."

The blue box remained in Jaune's sight, even amongst his growing aggravation for it. He turned to the sound of the noise and noticed an older man in a green suit. He had a wooden cane. The man took a seat at Jaune's bedside and gave him a rather odd attempt at a comforting smile. Jaune quickly noted the man's name and class.

**OZPIN**

**WARLOCK**

A hero was here.

"Who…who are you?"

Ozpin smiled.

"We can focus on that later. For now, I'd like to see how you're feeling. You've been asleep for almost a week after all."

Jaune felt his throat almost collapse in on itself. A week!? Ozpin noticed his distress and smiled.

"There's been no complications so don't worry. You have not contracted the sleep."

"Oh thank god" muttered Jaune.

"However…have you noticed anything different?"

"_Aside from the random blue box I saw?"_

"Pretty sure I'm seeing better than I usually do and I feel…"

"Stronger than you've ever been?"

Jaune nodded.

"Yea. What happened to me exactly?"

Ozpin got off the bed and began to walk around Jaune's room.

"You, Mr. Arc, have undergone what we like to call a Reawakening. Have you ever heard of it?"

Jaune shook his head.

"No. I know about awakening in general but not this reawakening thing. Is it similar?"

"I thought so and yes. However, It's a phenomenon most common to the Hero Caste. Rather than drudge this on with a long lecture let me keep it simple. You have basically awakened once again. As you are aware when one reaches the age of ten, their stats begin to grow."

Jaune nodded in understanding. He remembered when it happened to him. After he blew out the candles on his cake he suddenly felt a rush of energy. His passive and skills became active while his stats became...available for a lack of a better term. It was something everyone went through. It was considered a coming of age for all caste members as it allowed them to finally have the skills acquitted to their class and gave them the ability to earn experience and level up. Much like their age, the level everyone started at with Awakening was ten.

"Usually" continued Ozpin "a reawakening gives a large boost in stats, much like the one you are aware of…however from time to time more extreme changes can occur."

"Ok. So what happened?"

"I believe it best you see for yourself."

The older man gestured with his hands and suddenly water formed right in front of him. With a clap of his cane hitting the floor the water froze, becoming a makeshift mirror. Jaune's eyes went wide…

And than he started to laugh.

"Oh this is rich" muttered Jaune "come on is this another hero joke on the labor caste? Those get old quick."

Ozpin kept his stoic gaze.

"….oh…." muttered Jaune.

"Normally those who achieve a class up Mr. Arc tend to be happier with the news."

Jaune stared at his reflection and noticed that it had changed.

**Jaune**

**Arcane Craftsman.**

The words that were once a dull but dependable grey were now a searing crimson. The undisputed sign of a Prestige Class.

"Mr. Arc you are the first prestige Labor caste to ever exist in recorded history. As such I have come to invite you."

Jaune narrowed his eyes at Ozpin.

"….Invite me to what?"

"To Beacon Academy."

Jaune felt his jaw lose its strength and simply hang. However, responsibility quickly took hold.

"I refuse."

Ozpin sighed and looked at the floor.

"I take it your rejection has to do with your father?"

Jaune gritted his teeth. Ozpin gave a sympathetic smile.

"You've been asleep for a while Mr. Arc but the words above your head were noticeable as you were spat out the dungeon. I did investigate you and your circumstances. It's not every day that a member of the labor caste is in a dungeon after all."

Ozpin got up and walked to Jaune's sole window.

"Mr. Arc I understand you are responsible for your father's care here at the hospital. However, I believe you severely underestimate the value that a Prestige Class has."

Jaune sighed and rubbed his face.

"Just…get to the point please, I have a major headache."

"_And a floating bunch of words that are not going away."_

"Very well. Beacon Academy will cover the cost of your father's treatment so long as you remain enrolled within it."

Jaune stared at Ozpin.

"….you're not joking at all are you?"

"Mr. Arc, I am always serious. Regardless if your class is useless in combat the fact remains that you are a prestige class. As such by kingdom law you are to be recruited amongst our academies ranks. I would normally give you more time for a decision, however I fear what your….noble may do."

Ozpin had uttered the word Noble with such contempt that even Jaune felt the need to feel disgusted. To be fair he had forgotten his town even had one of those.

"…is it that bad?" asked Jaune "I mean it's just a title above my head. Just because it is red doesn't mean anything."

Ozpin chuckled and turned back to the young man.

"Your particular Noble dislikes change. He is currently being investigated for some…discrepancies we've noticed since our arrival. I know change can be scary, especially the forceful kind. In Beacon we will be studying what exactly your class can and cannot do. It may just be a fancy title like you have stated Mr. Arc."

"Please, just call me Jaune."

"Very well Jaune. It may be a fancy title…but you may also have abilities that extend beyond anything the labor caste can normally produce. For all we know you may be able to craft weapons powerful enough to contend with what may be found in dungeons. We are in unknown waters here Jaune and I am simply trying to help. But I will never lie to you. Your time in Beacon will not be easy. It is a school focused on training the next generation of heroes…there may be a few who feel the inclusion of an NPC isn't right."

Jaune felt his fists clench at the term. NPC. The needs protection Caste. So far Ozpin didn't seem the pretentious type…but first impressions can easily be wrong.

"First that dark lady and now you…my life's is already spiriling out of control."

Ozpin seemed to sweat a little at Jaune's little blurb.

"Ah…so you've met her."

"….Wait are you telling me I wasn't delusional about her?"

"If you mean Salem than no."

Jaune sighed a breath of relief.

"What is she?" asked Jaune.

"A god, one that not many are aware exists within our pantheon of deities. We are not sure of her domains, only that she walks the abyss between life and death. Many attribute magic to her while others believe her to be an evil trickster of some sort. Either way what little we do know about her is she always offers a deal and that they always backfire...considering that you are still living among us Mr. Arc is a good sign. You won't be bothered by her again."

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"Why's that?"

Ozpin moved to the door of Jaune's room and gripped the knob, ready to leave.

"She's only ever appeared once to each person that has seen her. Before I leave Jaune…I need an answer."

"…"

Jaune stared at the floating mass of words and than twisted his head to Ozpin. It felt like everything had happened so fast and out of control that it wasn't even funny. One moment he was in a dungeon and the next he wakes up in a hospital bed talking to the headmaster of one of the worlds greatest hero schools discussing his enrollment.

Oh and he was the first Prestige Labor Caste to probably ever exist.

"You'll take care of my dad?"

Ozpin nodded.

"You have my word. The treatments for him are doable and I can assure you he will wake up from his status ailment. The only issue is time. His condition had remained untreated for so long that it will require numerous applications of the cure and time before he regains consciousness."

The same thing the doctors had told Jaune all those years ago when he first starting porting.

"….fine. I'll enroll."

Ozpin smiled.

"Excellent."

"Is there anything I should be aware of?"

"Rules and expectations are revealed during orientation. However, for you in particular the rules are different. We will be studying your class for any abnormalities from the norm. As such we expect that you will be using your class skills on a regular basis and that you will conform to the same standards and expectations of any other students and that includes all classes. If anything you have more work to do."

Jaune gave Ozpin a flat stare.

"You're really selling this for me, ya know that."

Ozpin finally made to leave as he smiled.

"Believe me Jaune when I say this, you will have an unexpected advantage over the other students in quite a few areas."

With that the headmaster left, leaving Jaune to stew in his thoughts.

"Arcane Craftsman huh? Wonder what that's about?"

**ALARM!**

**WOULD YOU LIKE TO CHECK STATUS?**

"…what?"

**STATUS WINDOW OPENED.**

"The hell" finished Jaune.

Suddenly the window in front of Jaune that was filled with words disappeared, revealing what Jaune assumed was a "status window". Suddenly his vision was spammed with more messages causing him to sit up at the edge of his bed.

**ALARM!**

**CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR REAWAKENING. YOU HAVE LEVELLED UP TWO TIMES!**

**CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR REAWAKENING. YOU HAVE ACHIEVED A BOOST IN STATS!**

**CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR REAWAKENING, YOU HAVE THE APPROPRIATE STATS AND HISTORY TO ACHIEVE A RANK UP! UNIQUE CLASS ARCANE CRAFTSMAN AQUIRED. NEW SKILLS ADDED. NEW SKILL TREES ADDED.**

**CONGRATULATIONS ON SURVIVING SALEM! YOU'VE LEFT AN IMPRESSION! ADDITIONAL ACCESS TO SYSTEM GRANTED!**

**MANUAL STAT DISTRUBUTION ENABLED!**

**MANUAL SKILL POINT DISTRUBUTION ENABLED!**

**MANUAL SKILL LEVELLING SYSTEM ENABLED!  
DAILY QUEST ENABLED!**

**DAILY REWARDS ENABLED!**

**STORE ENABLED!**

**QUEST SYSTEM ENABLED!**

**QUEST REWARDS ENABLED!**

**PET/FAMILIER SYSTEM ENABLED!**

**WARNING. SOME FEATURES HAVE BEEN REMOVED.**

**TUTORIAL DISABLED!?  
AUTOMATIC CRAFTING SYSTEM DISABLED!?**

**PARTY SYSTEM DISABLED!?**

**MESSAGE SYSTEM DISABLED!?  
RADAR SYSTEM DISABLED!?**

Jaune rubbed his eyes as he finished reading what he had been shown. It seemed that this…system as it called itself was run on intent rather than words. Jaune focused his intent on closing the system. Suddenly the words disappeared.

Jaune focused on the opposite and a blank blue screen showed itself.

"hmmm…check status?" wondered Jaune.

Before whenever Jaune wished to check his status, it would simply be a rouge idea in his head. Nothing concrete. Yet, now was a different story. Instead it didn't just give him an accurate numerical value but had shown just how much he had grown due to his reawakening.

**JAUNE ARC**

**LV 15 - LV 17**

**STR: 25-35(C-A)**

**CON: 25-35 (C-A)**

**DEX: 25-35(C)**

**AGI: 25-35(C)**

**WIS: 25-42 (C-A) REAWAKENING BOOST!**

**INT: 25-53(C-A) REAWAKENING BOOST!**

**CHA: 25-35 (C-B)**

**RES: 47-84(EX-EX****)**

**HEALTH: 893 AURA: 800 = TOTAL: 1693**

**MANA: 1200**

**PASSIVE: STOKE THE FORGE (PRESTIGE)**

"Even my passive's different?" wondered Jaune.

**PASSIVE: STOKE THE FORGE (PRESTIGE):**

**Can bring any material to forge appropriate temperature by touching them with your hands. Costs 10 MP per use. (Prestige Effect):Ignite even the air around you and let anywhere you choose become a forge. +15% potency to all crafting skills and +15% chance to increase item grade. Costs 100 MP per use. If used outside of crafting 100 MP per second.**

**TITLE: UNKNOWN TITLE EQUIPPED**

"Apparently I don't know what title is and yet…I have one equipped…that's probably not a good thing. I wonder if there's anything else I should look into?"

**ALARM!**

**WELCOME "PLAYER" THE SYSTEM WILL HELP THE PLAYER'S GROW. FAILURE TO HEED SYSTEM ALARMS AND QUEST ALERTS MAY RESULT IN PENALTIES.**

**ALARM!**

**YOU HAVE REWARDS!**

"I get rewards?" chuckled Jaune "Seriously what the hell!"

Jaune rubbed his head in exhaustion and just stared at out the window.

"Wherever you are Salem, I hope you think this is funny."

Jaune sighed and focused on the system again.

"Rewards."

Nothing.

"um…activate rewards?"

No response.

"….Access Rewards?"

**REWARDS!**

**YOU HAVE EARNED THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL PASSIVES AS QUEST AND ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS!**

"URK!"

Jaune damn near chocked on air as he reread the page over and over again.

"I GET ANOTHER PASSIVE!?"

Jaune quickly looked at the door to make sure no one was watching his freak out. Thankfully Ozpin had closed the door on his way out, but still. Jaune quickly focused on the first set of awards.

**YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE SECRET QUEST "Courage of the Weak!"**

**You alone stood behind as a willing sacrifice to ensure the safety of others within the trick dungeon. For such sacrifice you have earned The Great Spellcaster Kandiaru's blessing!**

**Temporary Effect. Your body is restored to perfect health.**

**Passive effect Longevity: All Diseases, Poisons, and Status Effects are healed. Sleeping will explosively increase regeneration ability!**

**YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE SECRET QUEST "Indomitable Will"**

**In the face of death you retained your sense of strength. You are truly the incarnation of Indomitable! Nothing and no one can chain you down!**

**Immunity to all Charisma Checks!**

**Resistance to bindings (-15% effectiveness of all bindings, physical and magical)**

**YOU HAVE ACHIEVED THE ACCOMPLISHMENT "Unbreakable Resolve"**

**Even in death your soul remained your own. You remained unchanged, stubborn as you were in life, for you nothing is impossible. Instead it just hasn't been accomplished yet. Even when faced with the idea of a perfect wish, you rejected it, preferring to accomplish everything with your two hands …seriously how stubborn are you!? You have achieved a special bonus tailored just for you due to that unshakable resolve…you stubborn dick.**

**+25% potency to all crafting.**

**+25% to combat efficiency when you equip title.**

**TITLE: SOLO PLAYER.**

**YOU HAVE ACHIEVED THE ACCOMPLISMENT "Into The Abyss!"**

**You have stared into the Abyss and the Abyss has stared back into you…No literally. You must have balls of steel for you have stared at the actual embodiment of the abyss and have earned her attention! Do not disappoint, little entertainer. You have unlocked a unique variation of the INSPECT skill.**

**Inspect: Thanks to the sight given to you by the Abyss you see more than just the basic information of an object. You see that which remains hidden from others and can also garner hints for certain items!**

**Salem's entertainment: +38% chance for rare quests and situations (Good Luck Sucker)**

Jaune stared at the screen and shook his head. Most of them were good. Save for a couple of rewards that seemed geared towards combat, Jaune found himself excited to test the limits of these new abilities. Although….there was one thing.

"This system is kind of a dick" muttered Jaune.

**ALARM!**

**Daily Quest "The Road to Becoming Strong" has been started. All the greatest heroes start off with training! Complete the accomplishments to earn daily rewards and stat points! Please note that daily training requirements are randomize. The higher the level of the player, the greater the work-out difficulty.**

"**The Road to Becoming Strong" (Day 1)**

**50 Push Ups.**

**50 sit-ups**

**50 crunches**

**50 squats**

**Completion time remaining: 8hrs.**

**POSSIBLE REWARDS: Good Fortune Box, Status Recovery, 3 stat points, or all the above!**

**WARNING!**

**Quest must be completed within the time limit or a penalty will be doled out. So please, ignore the quest. Just this once.**

"Well fine" muttered Jaune.

There was no way in hell Jaune was going into a penalty zone just after he got out of that hell hole dungeon. Without a sound Jaune dropped to the floor and began to do some push-ups.

**ALARM!**

**Pussy.**

Jaune growled.

"Turn System Off."

**SYSTEM SHUTTING DOWN. ALERT AND ALARM SYSTEM ENABLED.**

"Huh…so I control the system…but the system controls me. God, what the hell is with this situation?" spoke Jaune.

Thankfully the blue see through box was gone. So that was a win in Jaune's book. But even so, Jaune continued to work out. One part was due to simple fear for whatever this system considers her a penalty. The other was curiosity. The rewards that were listed…one of them were three stat points. Did that mean he could, theoretically, grow limitlessly?

After he finished his pushups, which had grown increasingly harder than it should have for some reason, Jaune just chuckled.

"Don't be ridiculous" muttered Jaune "no one levels infinitely…that's….that's just stupid!"

However as he chuckled to himself, Jaune swore he heard a dark feminine chuckle echo throughout his room. For what Jaune had yet to realize was that his story was not what he thought it may be.

It was not just the story of a craftsman pushing the boundaries of what was deemed possible. Nah it was the story of adventure and circumstances. Of a man fixing his family, of a man finding love in the most unusual way, and the tale of a legend that would span across all of time.

It was the story of a man…who was Salem's little entertainer.

**DO NOT DISSAPOINT, JAUNE ARC.**

Chapter end.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys this is the start of a new story, let me know what you think in the review section! For now this story is taking the #2 spot in priority after Ultimate Weapon, as such it will always be updated, AFTER, the Ultimate Weapon has been updated. Unless circumstances change this of course. Just to let you know for future chapters if Jaune has any improvements that are statistically listed in the chapter, they will instead be revealed here! As a practice round so to speak, here's a list of Jaune's current skills and as a treat two other Skill trees available to him! Also just to ease and remove some speculation, Salem is not the main antagonist of this story! I've decided to go a completely different direction that Al'Aran's Forged Destiny story. **

**ALERT!: For those of who wondering what the fuck EX is, it is not an OP growth rate. It is simply to denote a growth rate that is not measurable. For isntance in one level he can gain a whopping 20 stat increase. Another level he could possibly gain 0. EX is just something that is not measurable, that's all XD. As a fair warning for all new readers, due to the discrepancies that was noticed for stats early on, this information repeats itself through out the current chapters. It will be removed as of chapter 7 of this story. (This info was created as of March 2020)**

**Stat growth parameters!**

**A= 5-10**

**B= 5-7**

**C= 5**

**D= 2-4**

**E=1-2**

**EX: who knows**

**POSSIBLE STAT GROWTHS! (These do not apply to Jaune but other hypothetical ****classes**

**S= 15-20**

**S+=20-30 (EXTREMELY RARE DOUBT IT WILL EVER BE USED)**

**PASSIVES:**

**STOKE THE FORGE (PRESTIGE)**

**Can bring his body to forging temperatures and ignite any materials. This includes the air around him as well! Activation cost: 10MP Non-Crafting Cost: 100MP per Second**

**THE GREAT SPELLCASTER'S BLESSING!**

**Longevity: All Diseases, Poisons, and Status Effects are healed immediately. Sleeping will explosively increase regeneration ability!**

**TITLES:**

**? (Currently equipped)**

**SOLO PLAYER**

**When player is fighting solo, gain +25% increase in combat effectiveness.**

**Salem's Entertainer**

**ALWAYS ACTIVE: +38% chance for rare quest, rare quest drops, and unusual situations. The mythical luck stat has been increased! Good luck you poor bastard.**

**BONUSES:**

**+25% potency to all crafting.**

**Skills:**

**GRIND:**

**Sharpen a weapon to a perfect degree**

**Cost: 10MP per use.**

**REINFORCEMENT (NEW) LV1:**

**Fill in the structural gaps of an item, strengthening it. When used on item, increases durability. When used during crafting, increases potency of item by 10%.**

**Cost: 250MP per use.**

**STRUCTURAL GRASPING LV1****:**

**Intuitively understand the structural integrity of an item. Use in conjunction with Reinforcement to increase it's effect. Effect increase 5%**

**QUENCH LV1: **

**Quench an item to cool temperatures. Strengthens items by 5%. **

**Cost: 20MP per use**

**ENCHANTING LV1****: **

**Imbue your items with enchantments! Enchantments must be learned before skill can be used. Currently can use 25% of an enchantments power. **

**Cost: None. All Enchantments have their own costs and materials. **

**RUNE SIGHT:**

**Instantly record any and all runes you see. This skill is passively active. All enchantments are made up of individual runes. **

**Rune Crafting LV1:**

**A Unique Class Skill. Rune Crafting allows for the creation of unique enchantments. As the player experiments and grows his knowledge of crafting and runes it is possible to create powerful enchantments and even bind a weapon to one user! **

**Skill Trees:**

**Blacksmith (Advance): **

**Your overall skill in this tree allows for the creation of up to C Rank weapons and armor and you are not limited by any design. Advance your skills to increase the overall performance of any skill tree. +40% to all weapon and armor creation. Can learn Advanced and below blueprints for any weapon or armor. **

**Tailor (Beginner):**

**Tailoring skill is that of just a beginner! You can create E-D rank level equipment. All skills for this class are locked within the skill tree. Must be learned. Is limited to simple blueprints.**

**Enchanter (Intermediate):**

**You have barely begun your journey as an Arcane Craftsman. Magic is in your blood and fire is the means of creation! The knowledge bestowed upon you by Salem as given you a boost within this skill tree. Is limited to C Rank enchantments. +10% to all enchantments.**

**Alchemist:**

**Create an Alchemic item to begin this skill tree**


	2. Chapter 2

**PATCH NOTES!**

**This chapter has been updated as of August 1st, 2020! Welcome newcomers and welcome back those who are reading again, enjoy the story and thanks for the reviews and criticisms.**

The Arcane Craftsman

Chapter 2:

Tall buildings made of marble, roads that were pitch black and smooth, with walkways made of stone. Vale was a treasure trove of modern architecture. It was if he'd entered a new world, with a culture all its own. The people wore suits rather than Jaune's own tunic and pants combination. Unlike most border towns Vale proper had money to burn and most could afford the "upper-class" look.

To Jaune, it was truly a wondrous sight. He would like to think that was the reason everyone on the train was staring at him. Looking at a blonde man from the sticks staring at the city through a window like a child.

…..ah who was he kidding.

It had been days since Jaune had left Ansel, his home for all of his life. His father was transported to the hospital sponsored by Beacon and Jaune followed suit soon after. There was nothing left in Ansel for him now after all. He had travelled by carriage, than by horse, and finally arrived in a small city that housed one of the few train stops in Vale, a relatively new invention for travel and the first major project done by two kingdoms, Vale and the mystical juggernaut Atlas. Jaune wished he could spend all day studying how it worked. His inspect skill giving him some bare bones knowledge, a neat trick he recently discovered during the ride.

"Man it's been nothing but firsts for me" muttered Jaune.

**ALARM!**

**You have completed 6/7 daily training objectives! time left for completion 3 hours! Get to it hero! Wouldn't want to miss that LAST OBJECTIVE! **

**(please skip it).**

"This thing just doesn't quit does it."

Jaune could feel the confused glares at his back. He sighed and shook his head. Seems he was already building a reputation. Jaune turned back to his seat and got comfortable. Right now things were quiet. But Beacon academy was close from the announcement he heard. There was only a few moments of quiet left to him with the school so close. Most of the trip Jaune had spent simply reading about his new skills and trying to understand his new passive. The skills themselves were not unusual. Although there were a few Jaune didn't quite understand fully, they were all basic in practice. His new and improved Passive seemed to burn anything his body touched however, which was an issue. Hell he even sent a torrent of flame ahead of himself once.

"Never doing that again" muttered Jaune "thought the system was trying to trick me with that whole "ignite air" nonsense".

Still, it was disturbing how good he felt. Having so much raw strength and power was something Jaune never believed he himself would ever possess. His passive even evolved to include his entire body, rather than just his bare hands.

It was an utterly and completely useless passive to Jaune, one hundred percent overkill for crafting…at least for now. Possibilities constantly played around in Jaune's head but nothing concrete had formed. Jaune took some breathes to calm himself, he was getting too excited for a guy "waiting" for his stop, not to mention said excitement had little to do with the academy in question. It was going to be weird, this Beacon Academy. But he had to persevere. His father's continued treatment being a core reason, with another being his new class. Jaune had to admit, he was curious about what it was he could do and Beacon Academy seemed the best place to discover that.

"Attention passengers, we are now arriving at Beacon Academy! Good luck."

Jaune nodded and made to get up but was quickly pushed down by someone. The whole car was a mess of people shoving their way out, hoping to be the first ones out of the train.

"A little too enthusiastic for a school" muttered Jaune.

But eh, who was he to judge. It wasn't like he was here entirely by choice. As the last person filtered out of the car, Jaune finally stepped out. Jaune felt his jaw drop as he looked at the massive tower that was beacon Academy. The land surrounding it large and littered with random buildings of odd design with large pockets of land between them. Nothing was uniform and all of the buildings were unique. Some were small and others were the size of castles! From the train stop was a long and wide bridge, leading straight to Beacon's doors. Jaune swallowed and began the trek to Beacon. He already felt dread at the rather long walk ahead of him.

SMACK!

Jaune fell forward but managed to catch himself. Suddenly he was brought out of his reverie and was reminded of what he was surrounded by.

Heroes.

Heroes that probably wanted nothing more than to kick him out.

"Great" muttered Jaune.

He straighten up and dusted himself off rather than try to find who shoved him. He already heard the laughter and taunting but Jaune felt nothing but pity. Just how childish were these men and women going to act? They were heroes for God's sake. No…they weren't heroes, not yet.

Jaune had met real heroes, seen them in action. These….people…

"_They're like kids"_ thought Jaune _"childish and petty with no understanding of how quickly the world will screw you over."_

This brought only small comfort to Jaune…but it was comfort nonetheless.

Thankfully the childish idiots seem far and few between. The looks were getting annoying though…especially one. Jaune turned and locked eyes with a girl that was walking behind him. Her green eyes widened in surprise. Usually if Jaune stared at them long enough they turned away.

…

The old raise an eyebrow trick always worked.

….

"_Welp I'm out of options"_ thought Jaune.

The girl behind him seemed to…resolve herself of something and made to walk beside him. Jaune looked at her class and blinked in surprise himself.

**Pyrrha**

**CHAMPION**

Much like himself this Pyrrha girl's class was dyed in crimson. But hers seemed a shade brighter than his own. People seemed to avoid her as well, keeping a distance. But unlike Jaune her distance seemed to be generated from respect rather than revulsion.

Jaune also couldn't help but eye the girl's armour. It was crimson and gold, reminiscent of the warriors of old. All she was missing was the helmet native to Minstrel and she was a dead ringer. It seemed to be leagues above what the others were wearing anyway. Perhaps he could inspect?

"Uh…Hello!"

Jaune blinked. He looked around and sputtered. How was she now just a few feet away from him? How the hell did she move so fast?

"Uh…Hi…."

The girl seemed to crash into herself, blushing horribly in embarrassment but she pushed forward, keeping in stride with him.

"I couldn't help but notice your class…are you perhaps a student here?"

Jaune nodded.

"Yea. Got invited here to study my class. Same situation for you?"

The girl blinked.

"I mean, you're prestige too. So, do you have a mystery class like me cause I never heard of a Champion before."

The girl's smile utterly destroyed any semblance of non-interest in Jaune. It was devastating how utterly beautiful it made her. A smile so gentle and happy Jaune couldn't help but smile back.

Even if he had no idea why the hell she was smiling like that in the first place.

"No" chuckled Pyrrha "I am not a mystery class as you put it. I hail from Mistril and my class is just uncommon, even amongst the prestige class."

Without missing a beat Jaune held out his hand.

He ignored the gasps that echoed across the bridge.

"The name's Jaune."

"Pyrrha."

The two shook hands. Jaune noticed she had a grip to her which he reciprocated. Pyrrha blinked as she looked at her hand. She smiled.

"You're strong."

"Kind of have to be. Ever since I got this class all my stats went up and seem to improve better than they normally do, especially my Strength and Constitution….is everything alright?"

Pyrrha blushed a little and nodded.

"Yes. it's just unusual for someone to be so open about stats."

Jaune shrugged.

"Must be a hero thing. Us Labor castes are always open about stats. A lot of the higher level stuff can kill you if your constitution is too low."

Pyrhha nodded.

"I'm surprised you're actually a labor caste member. I thought perhaps you were a hybrid class."

"Is that a problem?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" sputtered Pyrrha "I didn't mean to insinuate that at all! It's just…well I've never met someone from the labor caste before."

"seriously?"

Pyrrha nodded and gave Jaune a rueful smile.

"My upbringing can be described as…sheltered."

"yeesh. Well you're friends with me now so if you got any questions just fire away."

"We're…friends?"

"Yes."

"Already?"

"…did you not want to be?"

"No of course I do! It's just I never thought it was this easy" said Pyrrha.

"….by the Gods how sheltered are you?"

Pyrrha blushed and looked away.

"Sorry" chuckled Jaune "I won't tease you about it. Seems to be a sore spot for you. But yes its that easy being friends. Now being close friends…well I have to say you got to work for it Pyrrha."

The girl chuckled. Her shoulder's relaxed and she looked as if a lot of weight was taken off her shoulders. The two entered into an entry way that seemed to belong to a cabin, complete with the stuffed heads of various creatures. But rather than follow the large crowd going left, Jaune and Pyrrha were going to the right.

"I think that's a quest I can get behind Jaune."

"So where exactly are we going?"

Pyrrha smiled.

"Normally students are sent to orientation. However, for us in the Prestige classes we simply head to our rooms."  
"…why the special treatment?"

Pyrrha seemed a tad confused but answered anyways.

"Each of us in the Prestige classes are personally invited to the school. Any information about school policy is discussed than."

"Not with me. He just told me to enter orientation" muttered Jaune.

Pyrrha grimaced.

"Sorry! I can show you the way to the meeting hall!"

"You know where it is? But you got here at the same time I did" chuckled Jaune.

"I memorised the map" said Pyrrha blushing.

"Oh you just memorised the map" laughed Jaune "man you're amazing! Wish I had a memory like that. Wouldn't forget blueprints over and over."

Jaune didn't miss the blush on Pyrrha's face. But he assumed it was just embarrassment if anything.

"If you follow the long hallway and turn a left you'll be in the meeting hall. It's here Beacon has any mass announcements for the school."

"Thanks Pyrrha. I'll see you later."

Pyrrha seemed reluctant on something. But she smiled regardless. She waved him good bye leaving Jaune to his own devices. The white halls of Beacon Academy were a little off putting but Pyrrha's directions shouldn't fail him. As he back tracked back to the greeting area Jaune felt something collide into his chest. Jaune looked down at the poor girl that smashed into him, bouncing off his body.

"…"

Jaune rose an eyebrow as the girl got up, a random farmer's scythe gripped in her hands.

"Sorry about that!" chuckled the girl "Didn't mean to crash into anybody, just late for orientation and you do not want to be late to that! And ya know I don't want to get chewed out by Yang and well you get the gist…"

The poor girl finally removed her hood and saw Jaune. She only stood a mere 5'3. To Jaune's 6'3 frame she was small and petite. Not to mention that her eyes locked onto his class. Yet…Jaune narrowed his eyes at the girl's expression. Most heroes who've seen his class were either uncaring like Pyrrha or belligerent. Yet, this girl expression seemed to grow hopeful.

"Uh hi!"

"Hi" said Jaune "orientation is the other way."

"…..I knew that" grumbled the girl.

Jaune took this time to read her class.

"….What's a reaper?" asked Jaune.

The girl seemed to stall a bit. She chuckled weakly as she held out her scythe.

"A warrior who uses a scythe" she uttered.

"Oh that's cool."

Jaune walked past her and made his way to orientation. Suddenly the small girl was in front of him again.

"You mean it?"

Jaune blinked.

"Course I do" said Jaune "never met a class that required a scythe before although…it's a little…"

Ruby nodded.

"I know. My class is unusual so a lot of people don't know how to feel about it."

Ruby smiled at Jaune, enjoying his honesty and questions. Jaune took the time to really look at her. Her hair was an unusual combination of red and black and seemed to be the colour scheme for her entire wardrobe. When her red cloak stopped obscuring the rest of her clothes they revealed a black corset wrapped around a red tunic with a pair of strong leather pants. Deciding there had been enough lolly gagging Jaune urged them forward.

"So" said Jaune "lets get to orientation eh?"

Ruby smiled.

"You got it!"

"Name's Jaune by the way."

He held his hand out for Ruby.

"….You…already?"

Jaune looked at Ruby.

"What is with people today and not wanting to be friends" chuckled Jaune.

Ruby blushed and grabbed her cloak.

"Stooooop. I do wanna be friends its just it's normally not that easy! A lot of warrior classes don't want to hang out with a blank class."

"…..A what now?"

**ALARM!**

**A Blank Class is a term used to describe a class that is either the first of its kind, or so obscure that information on said class is non-existent! The player falls under this category until information regarding skills and stat growth are shared!**

"_Did…did this thing just help me?"_ thought Jaune.

"Did you hear me?" asked Ruby.

Jaune blinked.

"Yes of course. Sorry I can look like I'm spacing out sometimes. It's not you."

Ruby gave an awkward smile. She seemed like she really wanted to ask something. However, Jaune for the life of him couldn't figure out why she wielded that scythe.

It was just….

Utter garbage. Jaune inspected the damn thing just to make sure.

**Farmer's Scythe (E Rank)**

**This is a scythe designed to harvest the fields. It has no offensive properties and seemed to be made by a monkey….**

**ATK: 0 DUR: 100**

…**.oof this thing sucks. Should be ranked F for failed.**

"_Tell me about it. Why is a hero using such a low grade weapon?"_ thought Jaune.

"Ruby. I don't mean to be rude, but you do realize your scythe is just a farmer's tool?"

"_A horrifically bad one at that"_ thought Jaune.

Ruby stilled at the doors the duo has found before them. She turned to Jaune, and nodded slowly.

"Why don't you have a real weapon?"

Ruby seemed to wilt underneath his gaze. Jaune felt a bit guilty causing such a reaction.

"I'm sorry" said Jaune "perhaps I shouldn't have asked."

Ruby sighed and brought a smile back to her face.

"It's not your fault. It's just every scythe I can find are just made for farming. Whenever I went to a blacksmith about a custom order they told me they only made hero weapons."

Jaune snorted.

"What? That's utterly ridiculous. They lied to you."

Ruby blinked.

"What?"

Jaune clasped his hand on her shoulder, making sure her eyes connected to his. He spoke seriously as he explained.

"A blacksmith's business is strictly tied to their reputation. I should know, I was one before I got reawakened."

Jaune ignored the way her eyes bugged out of her head at his admission and carried on.

"Some smiths may not take the risk of failing with a new idea. They wouldn't want to sully the reputation that gets them the business they have now. After all if a hero says your weapon is lacking, what about the rest of your wares? But on the other hand I don't think you were visiting any skilled craftsman to begin with since most would offer to get compensation for prototypes and work with you. Seems to me you just had a bad run of smiths."

Jaune chuckled as he backed away.

"It's not like it's hard to weaponize a scythe. I already have a few ideas…if you'd let me implement them for you."

Ruby gripped her cloak, blushing at having been found out.

"I'm s-s-sorry I didn't befriend you just to make me something!"

Jaune chuckled and pointed above his head.

"No worries Ruby, its what I'm made for after all. Let me work up some schematics and when I have a prototype ready, we can give it a try. Meet me later and let me know what you need for your weapon. I've never heard of a reaper class so knowing how you're going to use your weapon is a good basis for starting to build it."

Ruby grew giddy as from out of nowhere she shoved a bunch of papers into Jaune's hands.

"I'VE BEEN IMAGINING MY OWN WEAPON FOREVER!" yelled Ruby "I GOT SCHEMATICS FOR EVERY IDEA….I'm sorry I'm such a weapon dork."

Jaune blinked, trying to keep up with this little ball of energy.

"Ruby, it doesn't bother me at all. I'd probably ignore most requests for making weapons for others since most of em seem uh….backwards shall we say."

Ruby seemed to chuckle in agreement.

"Now, we really should head in."

And with that, Jaune and his second friend entered orientation. Bright and cheery eyed. Perhaps Beacon wasn't going to be that bad?

**TWO HOURS AND FIFTY EIGHT MINUTES LATER**

**ALARM!**

**You have the opportunity to begin the urgent quest "Escape Orientation"**

**Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to escape the living hell that is this orientation. Seriously escape or shut the man up! **

**Rewards: Getting the fuck outta dodge.**

"For once we're in agreement" muttered Jaune.

Sadly Jaune was also a polite young man, and wasn't going to leave in the middle of a man's speech….even if said man was droning on about his "Glory Days". Jaune, much like the vast array of students sitting around him, were staring into the void waiting for this man to shut up.

…well everyone except that weird kid near the front.

Thankfully Jaune was seated near the back, away from most people. In fact he was the only one in his long bench. Ruby was in the distance sitting with a rather…gifted blonde woman. The girl waved at him smiling. The blonde woman turned to see him and rose an eyebrow.

"There I was, in the forests of Sasketoon! Surrounded by furry abominations that would tear me limb from limb if I bloody let them. It was only a matter of time before I was too late to rescue the princess, so in a daring plan-"

**ALARM!**

**Bonus Objective added to quest "Escape Orientation"**

**Kill em.**

**Reward: Glorious Silence….and also jail.**

"Stop tempting me damnit."

**ALARM!**

**No. **

**Timer: 1 min and fifty seconds**

Jaune sighed. Instead he took the time to look through Ruby's blue prints. She didn't give them all of them, seeming to keep a few to herself, bushing all the while. They were done by an amateur that was for sure. But they didn't change the fact that all the basic measurements that Jaune needed were included, which saved him some time.

"Hmmm….they all seem to have the word Rose in their name for some reason…..wait" muttered Jaune.

Jaune flipped his notification back up.

**NOTIFICATIONS!**

**TIMER: 43 Seconds, 42 Seconds, 41 Seconds. **

"Seconds? Seconds for what?"

As Jaune scowled, trying to think, it suddenly hit him.

"….awww no" muttered Jaune.

**ALARM!**

**You have failed to complete daily training! **

**WELCOME TO THE PUNISHMENT ZONE BIIIIITCH!**

With that, Jaune disappeared from the crowd. Either through the manipulation of the system, or the more likely fact that everyone around him was fast asleep, Jaune disappeared without anyone noticing. Well, except one.

"PSST! Jaune" whispered Ruby "My sister Yang found an escap….Jaune?"

**-PUNISHMENT ZONE, LOWEST LEVEL!-**

It was a blink. That was all it took. A damn blink. One second he was in the middle of a hellish orientation that somehow turned into a man's personal biography and now he was in the middle of his demented system's punishment zone.

A zone that looked like it was an entirely different world all together! The only thing Jaune knew for certain was that he was in a forest of some kind. There were no birds, just thick trees covered in vines and moss growing on something red.

"Well….I'm dead" muttered Jaune.

**ALARM!**

**You have completed 6/7 objectives! You have degraded the punishment zone to the lowerst level, E rank! You have earned Status Recovery! Survive for one hour! All restorative effects and stat boosts have been nullified thanks to status effect "Hellish Punishment!".**

**ALARM!**

**The Great Spellcaster's Blessing nullifies the nullifying effect….wait what?**

"At least I have that" muttered Jaune.

"_I should be freaking out"_ thought Jaune _"I should be a quivering mess…"_

The image of a great stone spear tearing through his chest appeared in Jaune's mind.

"…..best to move forward."

Jaune looked out to the forests. He blinked. He looked to his left, his right, behind himself…and found that every direction looked the same.

"…Aw poop…well if anything that giant red tree will have to do."

Giant was doing the tree a disservice. The tree towered beyond even the clouds, its immense girth signifying its strength and age. It was tall, beautiful, and completely and utterly red.

Its bark, its leaves, everything that could possibly be attributed to the existence of a "tree" was dyed a deep crimson. The entire forest was like this. The ground beneath Jaune's feet was nothing but dry wheat like grass, golden in color.

"Where…no….no I just need to survive not ask questions about where I am. System, how much longer do I have?"

**ALARM!**

**The P****layer has 54 minutes left.**

"Alright, just have t-"

Jaune felt a fist connect with his face, sending him through a tree. The tree splintered on impact, toppling over the young Craftsman.

"GAH!"

Jaune looked at what hit him, his jaw aching from the impact and his back a tad sore from the tree laying down on him.

"OOOH OOH AHH!"

Jaune blinked.

"….a monkey?"

It stood at least twice as tall as himself but the thing was bulked up beyond what a monkey was supposed to be. Not to mention it had a name and title above its head, not unlike himself.  
_"Aren't monkeys supposed to be small and fuzzy?"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune concentrated and activated his new and improved inspect skill.

**INSPECTED!**

**Grigaz! Alpha of the Primal Gorillas (R)**

**Alpha of the Gorillas who devour the fruit of the crimson tree. This particular ape has gained a connection to a primal source and gained unique properties from said connection! Its crimson fur is a sign of his connection to primordial fire. The black markings along Grigaz's body are a symbol of its status as Alpha. Get ready for an ass beating!**

Jaune stared at his inspection.

"…..why?" asked Jaune.

Grigaz roared, pounding its fists against its chest. It rushed to Jaune as the boy tried to struggle free from the tree. Jaune kept twisting around, trying to wiggle free. The tree was too heavy for him to move so he didn't bother. The ape arrived before he could escape however. With a long windup, the ape smashed its fist against the tree, freeing Jaune. It grabbed the Craftsman by the throat, bringing him close just to roar in his face, attempting to crush his throat all the while. A show of dominance and power.

Jaune was not impressed.

Jaune looked into its beady eyes, blazed with murderous intent and glee. His heart hammered, his ears pounded, and yet…he should have been afraid. He should have given up. Caught by a monster in such a way…any normal NPC would have just accepted fate.

Yet…there was no fear.

An oath had been sworn by Jaune in the face of far greater terror kept his heart steady. He refused to give in. To give them fear, regardless of the enemy. While it was always in his heart, Jaune swore that fear would never again grip him. The icy feeling remained absent, the fear having no ground to hold in Jaune's mind.

It was for that reason Jaune did what he did.

He reared back…

And socked the damn monkey in the face. It was ludicrous. An NPC couldn't fight a monster. It was the common sense of the world.

And yet Jaune's fist buried itself deep enough to splinter bone. Grigaz howled as its cheek bone cracked under Jaune's fist. Jaune's eyes widened as he looked at his hand. He dropped to the ground and immediately jumped back, making some distance.

However, instead of flying back a good step, Jaune fired backwards to the point he slammed into yet another tree.

"What the! I'm…I'm so light! I'm".

"ROOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR!"

Jaune narrowed his eyes at Grigaz. The beast's cheek steamed slightly as its wounds healed. In Jaune's many adventures in the dungeons carrying other people's shit, he had noticed a few boss monsters that healed in a similar manner. If the boss wasn't attacked for a certain amount of time, they started to regenerate.

But….could he win? He was not a hero after all.

"No."

Was he not but an NPC, Prestige or otherwise?

"NO."

He was after all…

Just a blacksmith.

Jaune stepped forward, his foot cracking the ground. Grigaz yelled, smashing the ground and howling. Suddenly the voices of other apes echoed around. The asshole was summoning more.

"I have no skills" muttered Jaune "I have no weapon. But if you think for even a moment that I'm going to just keel over and die…"

**ALARM!**

**Is the player sure they wish to fight?**

"I'll fight" growled Jaune.

**ALARM!**

**WARNING! The player is a non-combat class.**

Jaune chuckled. This system. It seemed to be organic. ALIVE! Much like Jaune now found himself bound to this thing, it seemed to be bound by something as well. Magic probably. Bound by magic and bound to him. Much like how Jaune found himself with Salem, Jaune didn't understand a damn thing.

"You and me both know…that I don't care!"

A savage grin spread across Jaune's face.

"I don't know if this is normal….but I'm excited!"

**ALARM!**

**The system is here to assist in the Players growth!**

"I understand! This punishment Zone…the one you kept trying to drag me to. It was to push me! Remind me that even with a system like you! That I must SURVIVE!"

Jaune reared his fist back as Grigaz launched itself at him. The creature was bigger and presumably stronger than Jaune himself. The name it had was crimson after all. If it was anything like the caste system, it meant this thing was unique in some fashion. But even so.

Jaune remained undeterred.

As strong as it was, it was obvious that Grigaz was angry and as dumb as a brick. It kept swinging massively, using its weight and size to increase its power. But it held no concentration in its movements.

Jaune was much the same. Yet, unlike a normal NPC, his own movements had been boosted by the stats given by reawakening. That included dexterity and agility. Not to mention that he was much smaller than the ape before him. He weaved past the first blow and landed a right hook on the ribs. He ducked under a left swing and gave an upper cut. They only stunned the beast.

"_Fiercely!" _

SMAASH!

"_I MUST FIGHT FIERCELY!"_

Grigaz rose both arms up, intended to smash Jaune down but was thwarted by Jaune jumping to grab its head. Before the great ape could even blink Jaune heaved and rammed his knee into Grigaz's face. The beast stumbled back even further.

"_An NPC can't fight back?" _

"_WHO DECIDED THAT!"_

Grigaz roared, rushing forward in an attempt to charge Jaune.

"I don't care!" yelled Jaune, rushing to meet the beast's charge "NPC, Hero, Prestige! They mean nothing to me! I decide my life! I decide MY LIMITS!"

**ALARM!  
OST unlocked! Limit Break Survivor (Jonathan Young)!**

Suddenly a thrum of music that Jaune didn't even know was producible echoed around him. It pumped him up and made his lust for battle soar ever higher.

"This is what you were trying to teach me, wasn't it" chuckled Jaune "to not become complacent! To not depend on you! Well let me teach you something, system!"

With a heave Jaune jumped up, ramming his shoulder into Grigaz's face and sent the beast to the ground. As he fell towards the beast Jaune reared both arms back and with all his strength, buried his fists into Grigaz's chest.

The beast's spit flew from its mouth. Before it could recover Jaune began to rapidly beat it down, giving no time for recovery. The Alpha's clan arrived, a multitude of apes of varying size, and all bearing witness to their Alpha's fight.

"Listen…and listen well System cause I'll only say this once. You do not decide what I do. Just as I don't decide what you give. I won't depend on you, but I will survive whatever you throw at me! Whatever quest, whatever task, I don't care! I'll live my life the way I want it to. If I have to beat down all my enemies before me!"

Grigaz was once more subjected to Jaune's fist.

"If I have to climb over even greater odds!"

Jaune headbutted Grigaz, making the creature's head smash into the ground.

"Than so be it! NPC? Hero? I don't need titles, what I need is strength! Strength to survive!"

Jaune weaved past a frantic blow and countered with one of his own.

"So throw all you want at me" growled Jaune "cause I'll just keep using them to get stronger. That alright with you?"

**ALARM!**

**The System is here to assist the Player in their growth!**

**It would have no other player. **

"Good" growled Jaune "cause when I get out of this mess I better get something good…..you have no control over that do you."

**ALARM!**

**All rewards are decided randomly!**

"Of course they are" muttered Jaune, giving Grigaz another smack, "and let me guess I don't get any EXP in a punishment zone either?"

**ALARM!**

**All punishment zones distribute 0 EXP points!**

"….I don't know how but eventually I will learn how to hit you. Hopefully after I hit these guys."

Grigaz shook its head and narrowed its eyes at Jaune, the slight lull in Jaune's movements giving it time to focus. It bucked Jaune off using its hips to throw the man off balance. Grigaz growled as it moved back and grunted as it began to circle around him. Jaune followed each movement, ready to spring out and fight. The clamouring of the apes around him did little to drown out the odd song that echoed in Jaune's mind. Seemed to be playing over and over again to.

"_Focus"_ thought Jaune.

"_This isn't the time to play defensively! Strike! And don't stop!"_

With exhilaration, Jaune charged forward. Again and again the two titans fought. Grigaz found itself slowly being overwhelmed in speed. Jaune kept aiming in the same general locations, switching between them quickly and efficiently, dodging all the while. The kidneys, the ribs, the throat, and the face. It was a pattern all to Jaune's own. His fists hurt, his wrists an aching mess, and his back was steadily getting worse from the tree. The sucker punch from Grigaz was slowly accumulating worse and worse as time went on. While Jaune was dominating the flow of the battle, the truth was that Grigaz was stronger. It had yet to return to its rhythm and Jaune prevented Grigaz from gaining an upper hand. Jaune knew that a clean hit from Grigaz could be devastating and mean the end for him.

Jaune lacked the equipment heroes normally wore and as such was currently at a severe disadvantage. One that may grow worse, if the louder screeching was any indication.

"_Think! THINK!...wait….INSPECT!"_

**GRIGAZ!**

**You're inspecting again? Whatever, your funeral. Grigaz's fur gives the ape full fire immunity and buffs its strength beyond what would normally be attributed to his species. There's no other  
"hidden Information". **

Jaune faltered for just a second, taking his focus to read the information that was shoved into his brain…..wait what?

SMASH!

Jaune never noticed the blow from above that Grigaz finally managed to land, his mind focused elsewhere in that second.. He smashed into the ground, crushing his chest and expelling all the air. The ape wasted no time grabbing Jaune and hauling him up to its face. Jaune blinked his eyes back into focus and noticed that the trees around him were filled with apes of similar size to Grigaz, far more than Jaune first thought there was. Yet, their fur was black, with some red markings, unlike Grigaz's own. That and they were a smidge smaller. The beast howled as it held Jaune up to its pack, making a show of its victory. Jaune took a deep breath. If this thing was smarter, he'd be dead right now. He still had the means to get out of this situation…but he doubted that the beast would let him go like last time. It was prepared for Jaune's raw strength.

All his skills were useless in this situation….

Jaune's eyes glowed red, the sign of a skill activation. Tiny embers seeped through his fingers. It was a gamble, a huge one…and it depended on trusting the system's own words.

Something Jaune was loath to do at the moment.

The beast brought Jaune close, opening its maw for one more dominating screech. Perhaps it thought Jaune was broken, that the man couldn't move any more. So sure of its strength…so sure of its power.

Well…if it was power the beast wanted…Jaune now had it in spades.

Jaune roared back and with his left hand grabbed the top of Grigaz's open mouth and using his feet forced its lower jaw to stay open. Jaune's right arm burst into fire and by instinct, Jaune directed the flames.

Right into Grigaz's open mouth.

It was unlike anything Jaune had ever experienced in his life. He felt his energy draining faster than normal, but the heat of the flames were intense. Grigaz's jolted, Jaune poured more MP directly into the flames, hoping to whatever was out there that it did something. The flame bulged as the heat and amount of fire increased. Grigaz fell to its knees, its eyes smoldering remnants of what once were. The beast fell to the side, smoke escaping its now dead maw.

"Ha….ha…ha"

Jaune caught his breath and turned his attention to the apes now silent in the trees. His entire body ignited in flames as his passive was used at full throttle. The ground caught fire and began to slowly spread.

**ALARM!**

**Critical Hit!**

**Critical Hit!**

**Critical Hit!**

**Critical Hit!**

**ALARM!**

**You've inflicted the burn status!**

**ALARM!**

**Congratulations player! You've defeated the punishment boss Grigaz!**

**Time Remaining: 29min**

The apes in the trees faltered as they saw Jaune's face. His eyes deadly and focused.

"I can barely move after all that…so do me a favour…and **BURN**."

Their fur was black instead of red, which meant they probably didn't have the same protection against fire that Grigaz had. So Jaune let loose. The flames exploded from Jaune, turning everything a few inches from him into cinder. Jaune could feel his fire…and knew it growed weaker the further away it got from him. But Jaune wasn't depending on the flames his passive expelled. No, instead he focused on the terrain. Often in his porter days Jaune watched heroes use the terrain to their advantage. Jaune was a living flame amidst a vast and dense forest. There was no way Jaune could fight the apes that surrounded him. He beat their alpha and barely had a quarter of his health left remaining. So instead of fighting them head to head, Jaune instead ensured their demise another way.

The trees ignited quickly and the fire spread. Already a few apes fell dead, their fur only giving a resistance to fire. Ordinary fire would take time to properly become so ferocious and deadly. But Jaune's own passive ignited anything quickly and that included fire born from his passive. While Jaune lost all control of the flames eating away at the trees, they still had the properties most important to him. Quick ignition and his own immunity to it. Thankfully from what Jaune could see the red trees were perfectly fine.

He blinked as he noticed the normal trees were…moving?

The plants screeched in agony as their trucks opened to reveal massive rows of teeth.

Jaune felt his jaw drop at the sight. Without even meaning to his eyes activated insight.

**MALAGORA, THE MAN-EATING TREE!**

**These things eat people. They use their roots to ensnare unsuspecting travellers and devour them whole! They also eat anything that moves, they aren't really that picky. However, they are cowardly and prefer to avoid direct confrontations!**

**P.S They're weak to fire. **

Jaune felt his MP tap out and exhaustion creep in.

"…..wait? muttered Jaune "Status Recovery?"

A golden light surrounded Jaune as all his pain and woes disappeared. His health and MP brought back to full. Jaune clutched his fist and narrowed his eyes at the space he normally found the alarm boxes.

"Thanks for letting me know status recovery heals EVERYTHING."

**ALARM!  
You're welcome!**

Jaune grumbled as he kicked a random rock into the distance. He kept walking and ignited his passive once more, to ensure he got everything. He noticed that everywhere he could see was nothing but fire…but that the flames were being eaten by the red trees, directly absorbed by them after they killed off everything around them.

The once small and unnoticeable crimson trees began to expand and grow.

**ALARM!**

"Oh what now" muttered Jaune.

**You have cleared hidden objectives!**

**You have begun the quest "Punishment? What punishment?"**

**Can you clear all the punishment zone levels and live to tell the tale? **

**(0/5 cleared! Reward and quest markers are given upon killing all enemies within the zone and leaving intact!)**

**ALARM!**

**You have cleared hidden objectives!  
You have begun the quest "Save The Crimson Forest!" **

**You have completed the quest "Save the Crimson Forest!" **

**You have assisted the forest in its growth! Higher tier reward chance +50%**

**You have cleared the forest of the parasitic Malagora! Higher Tier reward chance +50%**

**You have cleared all possible objectives! 100% higher reward chance!**

**The Great tree wishes to give you something. **

The ground in front of Jaune split open, revealing a long branch of crimson wood. It was as thick as his arm and twice his height, but the branch thrummed with magic. Even for the magically inept like Jaune, the amount of energy pouring from the branch was almost nauseating.

**ALARM!  
You have been given a "Branch of the Great Tree!"**

**INSPECT!**

"**Branch of the Great Tree, Gea Durga"**

**Trees are normally not sentient in any form, however that does not mean it always remains so. The great tree of the crimson forest, Gea Durga (Gay, Durg, A) is an example of a spirit residing within such a tree. Old and wise, the spirit of the forest is also incredibly powerful. Infused within this branch is a fraction of the mystical might that Gea Durga can bring forth. As such this branch has the ability to bolster Fire based Magic by a great deal! The wood itself is insanely strong and flexible, capable of withstanding great force and use. **

**Material Rank: A**

**ALARM!  
By clearing all Objectives for the Crimson Forest and using your own flames to ensure its growth back to health, you have gained a unique understanding of the element of Fire. You have earned the "Fire Potency" enchantment. Its strength is dependent on you and the strength of your level and skill level. **

"Wow, this is almost wor-"

**ALARM!**

**By killing all the Malagora's you have earned a unique understanding of the element of fire! You have earned the "Ignition!" enchantment! Imbue your weapons and armor with the essence of fire, granting destruction and protection to your arms!**

"…..You done?"

…..

"Ok go-"

**ALARM!**

**Due to clearing all objectives and your intense affinity with fire, you have started a new Class specific quest! You have begun "The Path of Fire" quest line! Testing for compatible flames…You have two specific paths you can go down! Be warned the path of this quest cannot be chosen, only undergone. Which will you choose, and which path will choose you?**

**THE PATH OF FIRE: **

**Many a fire mage has walked this path, each to their own ends. Some pursue fire as a tool for destruction. For combat and nothing more. Yet, you choose a different path. In the right hand, a flame birthed in combat. In the left hand, a flame born for creation. A path one must take, but which path would it be? Your choices and use of your natural affinity to fire will dictate what properties your flame will have. The flames will become powerful either way, but also become a reflection of who you are and who you will become.**

"…Can I….can I leave now?" asked Jaune.

**ALARM!**

…**.Yes fine. The option to leave the punishment zone has been granted!**

**P.S You're buck naked by the way.**

"Wait what!"

Jaune looked down and noticed that he was indeed, nude as the day he was born. While Jaune's immunity to heat and fire was inherent, such immunity did not in fact go towards his clothes. In the heat of combat Jaune's unfortunate clothing had died a heroic and tragic death.

"Wait a minute!"

**ALARM!  
The player wishes to leave! Exiting Punishment Zone in 5,4,3**

"WAIT! I gotta have something, anything! Just wait a moment!"

**ALARM!**

**All untouched rewards and items are being transferred to inventory! Congratulations player! **

**You Won.**

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

**ALARM!**

**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! XD.**

**-One Second Later, Back in Beacon's Orientation and Announcement Hall-**

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Jaune's voice echoed in the now very empty orientation hall. He quickly patted his chest and found, mercifully, that the blue tunic and pants that he wore, were now back in place.

**ALARM!  
All damage and items used up in the Punishment zone are restored back to full percentage!**

"Oh thank the Gods" muttered Jaune "You can be a real piece of work you know that?"

"JAUNE!"

Jaune turned to see Ruby at the doors of orientation.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you! Quick come with me!"

Jaune was soon dragged off his feet by Ruby, who's excitable disposition gave him a small smile.

"Hey" chuckled Jaune "Where are you taking me?"

"_I just wanna sleep"_ thought Jaune.

"I wanna get you before anyone else does!"

Brain rebooting. EXE JAUNE ARC, back online. Executing Response Protocol.

"….What?" asked Jaune.

Ruby blushed a little bit.

"Sorry! I know I'm being kind of forceful about it, but you were so nice and we really need an eighth member."

Jaune looked genuinely confused. Ruby stopped dragging him and deposited him in front of a small group of people, one of whom Jaune was already well aware of.

"Pyrrha?"

"See" said Ruby "I told you I knew Jaune!"

Pyrrha chuckled.

"I guess you do! Sorry about doubting you."

"What's going on?" asked Jaune.

"Oh Right! You escaped orientation! How did you do that anyway? I tried and some of the teachers stopped me. Anyway!" chuckled Ruby "We're here….to form a guild!"

"A TEMPORARY GUILD!"

Ruby cowed a little but nodded.

"yea that."

Jaune blinked. Suddenly a white haired woman sighed as she rubbed her eyes.

"I don't blame you for leaving that horribly orientation, but do please try to keep up. We need eight people to form a temporary guild and complete an D rank dungeon as a group. If we do so, we are than allowed to attend Beacon Academ…..Ruby."

The girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Why is an NPC here?"

Jaune rose an eyebrow while Ruby looked morified.

"This is Jaune! He's a prestige class like I said Weiss!"

Weiss sighed. Jaune tried to calm down. Truly he did. But the looked all day were really starting to get annoying and if this bitch was gonna go of.

"I'm sorry" said Weiss "I don't mean to be rude. It's just there's only eight of us for this test and preferably it would be in our best interests to have eight people ready to fight. As a prestige class I'm sure Ozpin will give you some leeway, but I don't wish to endanger everyone's chances by partnering with someone who cannot fight and lowers our overall combat potential".

"…_.huh…..that's actually a fair point...still pisses me off though_" thought Jaune.

"Uh…no worries" said Jaune.

The poor boy was too tired to fight.

"I don't mind" said Pyrrha "I'll join you all if Jaune does."

Jaune blinked in surprise, while Pyrrha seemed overly surprised herself. Yet, she quickly nodded, a small smile spreading across her face.

"….Truly" whispered Wiess.

Pyrrha nodded.

"Yes, besides we all have to join a guild after the tests anyway. I'd prefer if we kept it small. Some of the offers from the older guilds have been…."

The only other male, armoured in a set that was foreign to Jaune, spoke up.

"I get you" muttered Ren "It's not unusual for small guilds to form after the test and so far you all seem alright people. The big guilds have been incessant with recruiting abnormal classes for some reason and preferably I'd like to stay away from it."

"Did I miss something?" asked Jaune.

"Don't worry about it."

Jaune jumped a little and noticed a raven haired beauty suddenly exist beside him. Above her head was the name Blake and an unusual class, Shadow Dancer. Perhaps some kind of assassin?

"I've only been able to follow this conversation for the last couple of minutes. The blonde one dragged me here the same as you. Seems they really are sisters."

Jaune turned to who she meant.

Yang, class Warrior.

The blonde bombshell grinned.

"Ah come on, it's not that bad! Besides its only D Rank! Nothing to worry about. Way I see it, we run a dungeon together and see what happens after that!"

"YEA!" yelled a ginger woman "Me and Ren came here to learn and relax! None of this guild war stuff!"

Nora, Class Berserker. Ren, Class Samurai.

"Wait there's a war going on?" asked Jaune.

Weiss sighed, her class a shimmering blue Sorceress.

"No, it's just a term for the competition between guilds in this school. They're a large part of Beacon's internal economy and serve as a part of our education."

Jaune seemed to contemplate before answering.

"So…kind of like a practice run? For when you heroes have to go out and join a guild?"

Weiss seemed surprised at his knowledge and gave a small smile.

"Yes. Exactly that. Once we've completed orientation, we have to either join a guild, or make our own. Each have their benefits for us students."

"I just wanna sleep" chuckled Jaune.

Nora looked at Jaune with big cheery eyes.

"ME TO!" yelled Nora "Sadly we have to get a small guild ready to go for tomorrow or we get kicked out of Beacon for failing!"

URK!

Jaune gave a weak smile.

"I see. Well I'm down for joining. I doubt any other guild would bother entertaining the thought of me joining anyway."

Weiss looked around and sighed at the lack of people in the hall.

"Not like we have much choice. Everyone who was free has already left. It would appear we are stuck with each other."

Jaune gave a hapless shrug. Pyrrha moved closer and gave a comforting smile.

"Come" said Pyrrha "I know where the registration office is for guilds."

Jaune smiled.

"Still got it huh?"

Pyrrha shrugged.

"I told you I memorised it. Now come, we have to be quick if you want the rest of the evening to rest. I hope I don't come across as rude Jaune…but you look extremely exhausted."

Jaune nodded. It would seem that Status Recovery healed him of all wounds and fed his MP back to full, but it didn't remove the mental exhaustion that Jaune felt. Which was really a bummer all things considered.

**-The Registration Office-**

The entire walk to the office was nice. He got to know Ren, Nora, Yang, and Blake better. Ruby remained an energetic person, with Nora as her sidekick in that regard. It seemed all was well. That the group could function well enough to work together…until this came up.

"I should be leader!" muttered Weiss "I have the credentials!"

Yang rolled her eyes.

"No it should be me! I have the most experience! I've been in an actual dungeon, not some copied knock off."

The two women were currently enrolled in a fierce debate over the role of leadership.

"Does it change anything if I remind you all that this leadership is a temporary thing, since you'll likely go of to join the established guilds?"

The poor noble class receptionist sighed as the two girls ignored her. Her name, Sharron, was in a bright green to signify her caste. Her class was Judge.

"If I may" said Ren.

"NO/SHUT IT!".

Ren sighed as Nora patted his shoulder.

"Are those two together or?"

Jaune chuckled at Ruby's question.

"No" said Blake "But I think they like each other."

"I think "They" can hear you" chuckled Jaune.

The two in question had a dust of a blush on their cheeks as they did their beast to ignore the peanut gallery.

"It should be me!"

"No! Me!"

"Ok that's it" said the judge.

The judge hit her mallet and incited a word.

"ORDER."

A small wave echoed through the room and all the noise ceased to be. Weiss and Yang looked at the receptionist in shock.

"Now" said the receptionist "I'm normally a very patient person, but I may be late for an engagement if you two don't stop fighting. So rather than let this farce continue, I offer a solution. I'll look through each of the records and choose as leader the individual with the most applicable experience. This will be decided on dungeon experience. Agreed?"

The two women, still skilled into silence, nodded to agreed.

"Good. Now Blake Belladonna?"

The assassin nodded.

"Hmm…you've experienced eighteen E Ranks and five D Ranks with your parents in the White Fang Guild?"

Blake nodded.

"An impressive number! Now, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie? Unusual that two applicants have one transcript but…if Ozpin allowed it very well. The two of you combined have accomplished 12 D Rank gates. Well done."

Nora and Ren nodded in appreciation; their volume still mute.

"Let's see, ah Ruby and Yang Branwen. While Young Ruby has accomplished only three E Ranks to her name, Yang has accomplished 21 E Rank and 23 D Ranks."

Ren gave a silent whistle as Yang nodded along. Weiss even begrudgingly gave her a respectful nod, but she seemed overly annoyed.

"Now, Pyrrha Nikos, a whopping 1…..oh my. You've already accomplished a B Rank Gate? But….ah I see. Nevermind than dear, congrats."

Pyrrha blushed horribly at the stupefied expressions of everyone involved. Jaune was the only one to raise an eyebrow.

"Now Weiss Schnee…21 E Ranks and….oh for the love of, 23 D ranks are you kidding me?"

Weiss blushed and looked to the side.

"Well we all know now that Pyrrha is best to lead."

Everyone sighed in relief as the volume came back.

"Makes sense, I didn't even touch a C Rank gate much less a B one. Dang that's incredible Pyr."

Pyrrha seemed to grow more uncomfortable at the praise but smiled nonetheless.

"Now" said the Judge "for Jaune Arc….well that's unusual. Most Labor Caste Members I know do not have last names."

Jaune shrugged.

"It's from my mother."

"Ah. Well in that case your record."

"Is there any point?" asked Weiss "Pyrrha has been nominated."

The judge rolled her eyes and pointed a finger at Weiss.

"This is not Atlas young lady. You were unable to make a decision before I got involved. Now I will make the decision based on those whose credentials best fit the case, a decision I refuse to make without all the information, however unlikely it may be."

The judge smiled sweetly as Weiss conceded.

"My apologies" muttered Weiss "I didn't mean….I."

The girl seemed to retreat into herself. Thankfully the Judge spoke up once again.  
"Enough of that. You did nothing wrong. Questioning is not wrong, enforcing is. Now let me finish. Let's see, yes Jaune Arc…."

She looked at Jaune, than back at the record, than back to Jaune. She narrowed her eyes.

"Who made your transcript?"

"Umm…Ozpin did Mrs."

The Judge snapped her fingers, her eyes glowing a green glow as she held the mystical tablet in the air.

"Hmmm…its authentic. Very well than. Mr. Arc has accomplished 54 D ranks, 72 C Ranks, 33 B Ranks, and 7 A rank gates."

Everyone looked at Jaune.

"….what?" asked Yang.

"Ah, there it is" muttered the Judge "honestly Ozpin needs to write bigger. It makes more sense since you were a porter. My apologies for the suspicions Mr. Arc."

"Uh, none taken. So what does this mean?"

"It means you, Mr. Arc, are acting guild leader for this temporary guild. Now we only have a few gates left to choose from. The earliest D Rank gate I can bring you to is one in two days. So you have tomorrow off. Quite a boon for some. Congratulations Mr. Arc and company. Now if you so choose to stay a guild after the orientation, please just see me."

"Uh, thank you ma'am."

"Please call me Sharron."

"Jaune. Uh, I'll let you know how that goes Sharron. Thank you for the help."

Sharron chuckled and shooed them out. She snapped her fingers, her eyes glowing green, and the door closed behind them. It shimmered green before a loud locking noise echoed behind them. Now left alone in a hallway, Jaune was left with a team staring at him.

"So…..we ready for the test?"

Weiss's eyes narrowed.

Jaune swallowed and gave a weak smile.

"Ah nuts" muttered Jaune.

For the life of him Jaune swore that he heard a familiar throaty laughter in the back of his mind. The feel of a small tingle travelling down his spine echoed through his body.

**-End-**

**Chapter two came out far sooner than expected! Thanks to the plot delay of Ultimate Weapon I was able to bring this out. It didn't sit right with me NOT to have a chapter come out before Christmas. Hopefully I get the chapter back and revised before Christmas comes out for a double wammy so to speak. Anyway thanks for the support guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

**PATCH NOTES (As of March 2020): All chapter and system issues have been fixed! Thanks to all the fans that have pointed out the issues and things that they feel are weak within this story of mine! The helpful criticism has helped me keep this story on the right track!**

Arcane Craftsman: Chapter 3

Jaune stared at the ceiling of his temporary room. Unlike the average hero class, a prestige like Jaune was tucked away in a higher floor than the others in the male dorms. Ordinarily, heroes would bunk and share a room, while Jaune had one all to himself. Jaune initially didn't like the special treatment, but it at least gave him some privacy. Especially after the whole "Guild Leader" debacle. It wasn't to say that it was all bad, but rather his new temporary guild mates had no idea what to do. A labor caste, no matter how prestige, was now their leader for a dungeon run? Yikes. Still though, they were far more amicable than Jaune anticipated. Honestly, he expected them all to explode and vehemently deny the order or something. Or worse case assassinate him or something.

**ALARM!**

**Murphy's law, ever heard of it?**

"Shut it."

Jaune glared at the system a bit, his suspicions of it becoming more pronounced. He decided now wasn't the time to deal with it however and smiled a bit as he shook his head. Indeed, it all went better than he thought, hell Pyrrha was quick to defend him as well, which was nice.

Jaune blushed a bit as he remembered the fiery beauty. Her crimson hair and socially awkward demeanor was adorable.

Jaune shook his head again.

"Now is not the time" he muttered.

Jaune sat up on his bed and turned his attention to the newest and most vexing addition in his life.

The System.

Jaune barely understood how the blue box in front of his vision worked. It would disappear when he told it to and he knew that he could touch it. But that was it. It was very detailed in informing him what his own strengths were…but it seemed to be pushing him to fight.

"System On."

**ALARM!**

**System is now back online!**

**Bitch! **

The system was also a dick.

"You don't even turn off in the "first place", you just go silent for a bit."

**ALARM!**

…**..so?**

As became his now normal mode of operation, Jaune ignored it.

"…ok now that I'm alone I can try experimenting with this thing. So far it responds to intent, but its easier and quicker to just ask it to do something…it said one time about notifications. System access Notifications"

**NOTIFICATIONS!**

**You have received Rewards!**

**You have completed part 1 of "Punishment? What Punishment?". Rewards have been deposited to main menu.**

"Main Menu?"

**ALARM!**

**Congratulations player! You Have accessed the main menu for the first time! Give yourself a cookie! The main menu is the hub of the system interface! Through this you can access the entirety of the system support available to you. WARNING some system functions are lost or locked at this time. Find them or achieve a feat(s?) that unlocks a feature to gain access to them.**

**MAIN MENU**

**Status**

**Quest Board (Restricted)**

**Quests!**

**Store (Locked)**

**Notifications/Mail (0)!**

**Rewards (4)!**

**Skill Tree.**

Jaune smiled, happy he was beginning to understand what was in front of him. He clicked on store, but frowned as it blinked red. A small notification blinked in front of him, a searing red unlike its normal blue.

"Got to be level 20 to access huh? Wonder what it would sell in the first place? Does this thing even accept lien?"

The system decided not to let him know if it did or not, which was alright with Jaune. He narrowed his eyes at the Quest Board option. Unlike the store it wasn't simply locked, but restricted. It was obvious that it wasn't the same as "Quests". A burning need to know itched in Jaune's mind, but he knew that the system was just as stubborn as he was. It wouldn't budge…or rather couldn't? Jaune was still trying to figure out how this all made sense. It tried to talk to him like it was a person, but Jaune noticed it didn't have much in the way of free will. Regardless Jaune threw his attention to another segment. One that filled him with equal parts mirth and annoyance.

"Let's find out what this skill tree is all about" he muttered.

**ALARM!**

**The Skill/Skill Tree option has been accessed for the first time! As a Prestige class you have access to numerous skill trees that grow and evolve over time rather than just one! As you develop and level up yourself and your skills the tree will evolve with new possible skills. WARNING! Skills are evolutionary. Would you like a tutorial?**

"Wait? Tutorial?"

**ALARM!**

**The Player System Tutorial is inaccessible by this player. However, general rundown of information is not….ok look do you want the tutorial or not?**

Jaune grunted in acceptance. Ever since the punishment Zone this system of his seemed to have settled down a bit. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth anyway. Jaune knew how his skills functioned, but only in the sense of a labor caste member. So a more in-depth understanding wouldn't hurt.

**SKILLS!**

**SKILLS are the crystallization of a specific ability, talent, or knowledge that have been empowered by magic and a class. Not only do they imbue the user with the knowledge of their use, they also come with additional effects. However, the knowledge imbued by the skill is limited. All skills are able to be levelled up, much like the players themselves. These skill levels represent an individual's mastery and power over a skill. Some skills even gain better effects as they grow stronger or evolve into a greater variation! The Player's "BLACKSMITH" skill tree and the skills within it are an example of this. At Level 1 an individual is given a basic understanding of crafting metal, using magic to adjust weight, or sharpen an edge through the skill. However, that is all, a basic and hollow understanding, something to start with. Only through one's own experience, knowledge, and talent can skills level up. As a player of the system, certain quests and items can give specific skills large amounts of XP. **

**SKILL TREE'S are a collection of skills that are connected in similarity or class function. Every Class gets one skill tree that evolves with the user, a rare few of what the Player calls Hero classes can get two. Unique to Prestige Class types is the ability to house four or more. These skill trees are a representation of one's overall proficiency within a skill set. This proficiency cannot be artificially increased by items OR the SYSTEM (NO EXCEPTIONS!). Only by increasing levels and gaining actual experience in the use of said skills will increase a skill tree's overall mastery. However, skills are a different matter, as they can be increased through an item called a Skill Point. A skill point is a system specific item keyed to the individual player. The power of this item allows the manual level up of a skill, or the forcible awakening of a skill. To be put bluntly, don't fuck with em, they're rare damnit.**

As if asking Jaune to confirm this, his skill tree option opened revealing each of the skill trees available to him. Blacksmith, Enchanter, Tailor, and Alchemist (Locked). Jaune tapped on the Blacksmith skill and was able to notice its format. In the center as a circle was of course BLACKSMITHING (ADVANCED).

"Huh. Instead of a level its just an overall grade it would seem…interesting. It's good to know that I actually have to work for my skills. I'd hate to just be given full knowledge…it would definitely take the fun out of it all."

A vast majority of the BLACKSMITHING skills within the tree were blacked out, no writing over the smaller bubbles were visible, except for a few. For starters Jaune noticed that all the circles within this "Tree" were connected by lines. From the middle BLACKSMITHING circle, each skill was connected in different directions. It was without rhyme or reason it would seem. However, attached to each of his active skills, that glowed white, were greyed out skills. Presumably the next in line for activation. A few interested him. One was Weapon Proficiency, Armor Proficiency, and Overall Proficiency. Presumably they would boost the quality of his items…or rather do so by transplanting the knowledge into his head? The whole thing was confusing but regardless Jaune knew that there was no need to stress himself out getting them. The system basically told him that he COULD use items to forcibly activate his skills early…however…Jaune smirked.

"So…I could just manually unlock them…I think I'll just learn em myself."

**ALARM!  
**

**A portion of skills are indeed learnable you greedy dick. However, the requirements to unlock them are not known to the player. It is possible for the player to naturally unlock every skill for themselves…just as it is possible for the player to never again learn a new skill within the tree. Some skills even require specific feats or a high enough level to unlock. It is possible for clues or directions to be obtained for possible skills, but these are hard to come by and notice.**

"You have been entirely too helpful…what did you do?" asked Jaune.

**ALARM!  
**

**Fuck off.**

"Should have kept my mouth shut" thought Jaune.

Jaune turned to the Enchanting Tree next. The skills inside were simple in practice. Rune Sight allowed Jaune to see and read runes. Rune Crafting allowed Jaune to imbue the power of runes to an item during crafting. However that wasn't the full extent of the skill. From what Jaune understood the ENCHANTING skill allowed him to imbue the runes into the weapons he created. While Rune Crafting did the same thing overall, it allowed him to create original enchantments or alter existing ones to his liking. It allowed for the creation of enchantments rather than the use of them. It was an interesting distinction.

"System" asked Jaune "how's my ability with Rune Crafting?"

**ALARM!**

**You're Shit. Absolute Garbage. No Skill, Talent, or even a spec of intuitive understanding between what little brain cells live in your skull. You must first learn and understand fully the runes before using them in unique creations. You're a one trick pony who only understands two fire enchantments and not the individual character that makes up the enchantment. **

**In the words of the venerable ancient Players that look down from above and beyond…Get good Scrub.**

Jaune stared at his notification.

"Did I offend you at all?"

**ALARM!**

**No.**

"…..Ok…uh what's this about rewards?"

**ALARM!  
Rewards are items given for completing quests or defeating incredibly potent, legendary, godly, or just EXCRUTIATINGLY annoying opponents. Especially the last one. They are random in nature (much like everything else). However, certain quests or enemies have a higher chance of dropping specific rewards depending on the circumstances, as you have already learned.**

**You currently have four Rewards!**

**For Completing the First (And weakest, don't start getting a big head here) Punishment Zone, you have earned the following reward types, General and Class!**

**1 Skill point (General)**

**Basic Arcane Tools (Class)**

**Skill Stone (Class)**

**Look before you ask all punishment zones drop one item (Not gonna lie, usually horribly crappy) just for surviving. This reward can increase in value if you clear the zone. By defeating the boss of a punishment zone you "Clear" it, resulting in at least two more guaranteed rewards. The General Reward is something that is common for any player. A "Class" reward are weapons, tools, or possibly even skills unique to your class or by rare possibilities outside of them! By clearing all (If Any) side/hidden quests within a punishment zone, you gain the PERFECT or 100% cleared extra reward which is a rare General drop…which is utterly random in terms of usability (Sorrynotsorry). Pray to the RNG God, Or Goddess I don't discriminate here, for a good roll….cause most of em suck.**

Out of everything the System had just dumped on him…Jaune only learned one thing.

"I'm….I'm not the only player?" asked Jaune.

**ALARM!**

**Of course, not you arrogant ass! What did you think you were the beloved "Chosen one" sent to save this world from the dungeon scourge one scrappy battle at a time? Who do you think you are eh? Jesus? Buddha? Batman!? Get over yourself scrub. You aren't the first nor the last who will ever gain the status of "Player!". **

"Huh. Good to hear" chuckled Jaune "Would be kind of awkward to just be the only player for some reason. I mean if I gained access why wouldn't others. Rather avoid fighting them if possible."

**ALARM!**

**You're just begging for Murphy to fuck you in the ass, aren't you? Forget it, crack open that skill stone!**

**P.S Touch the little item box for the item!**

Jaune, a normally patient and kind individual was nearing the end of his good will. He had been beaten near death, and was now learning that he may not even be allowed to stay in Beacon if he fails his entry test or whatever. This was a major problem since his father's treatment for the SLEEP ailment depended on his enrollment. So like any self respecting young man he did the only thing available to him at the time.

He flipped a weird non-physical…thing the bird and tapped all three items in quick succession.

In response the system tried to drop his new hammer and chisel on his nuts along with a glowing rock with red lines. Jaune closed his legs and caught the hammer and chisel in his hands.

**ALARM!**

…**..huh? Guess the stat dumps into AGILITY and DEXERITY from the two daily quests weren't for nothing after all….fine you win this round….**

**Bitch. **

Jaune just started laughing. What else could you do against something that treated you like an annoying little brother at this point. At least, that's what it felt like to Jaune. He doubted the system could even feel anything, but it felt nice to think it did in some fashion. Jaune quickly inspected the hammer and chisel.

**Hammer and Chisel of the shitty craftsman!**

"Ok come on!" yelled Jaune.

**ALARM!  
**

**Alright fine jeez. Party pooper.**

**Inspect: Arcane Hammer and Chisel (Poor)**

**While the quality of the hammer and chisel are poor, that is only in contrast to other magic tools of greater quality. Unlike a normal hammer and chisel, this set of tools have been imbued with the power to allow the free flow of a user's mana through them. This allows for magic to flow between the user and the material they are crafting with! Due to its poor quality the hammer and chisel will lose durability during the crafting of any item B rank and above. The greater the rank, the greater the damage.**

**Durability: 1000 **

"Certainly a sight better than my old pair" muttered Jaune "still wish there were more tools though than just a hammer and a chisel."

Still though the hammer looked nice. It looked more like a Mallet than anything, but it was one seamless piece of grey metal. The chisel was sharp and thanks to his new Class downloading the basics of rune crafting, Jaune knew that the chisel was necessary in his future project.

Ruby's Scythe.

He had been trying figure out the appropriate materials to make it. This wasn't going to be a project that stayed within the realms of his abilities. This would be the first project in a long time and also the first project with his new class.

Jaune planned to push the pedal to the metal as far as it would go and than some! As such he needed to use the best materials he could possibly use at this time. Thankfully Jaune….wait…

"I have a fourth reward, right?" asked Jaune.

Sure enough there was indeed one more.

"Wonder what the extra reward is?"

Jaune smiled and tapped on it. He noticed that the system had separated it from the others, due to its perfect standing. Unlike the other items that he had this one was bordered in gold. It shone brightly and beautifully.

**ALARM!**

**You have earned a "Good Fortune Box". **

"**Good Fortune Box!"**

**This item is a rare daily quest drop that can give the player anything they WANT. This can be an incredibly powerful item…or a fucking twinkie. WHO KNOWS! Be warned the good fortune box takes in all desires that have occurred in the Player's life with a decent chance to obtain something they desire in the moment…**

**LET THE GACHA HELL BEGIN!**

Jaune chuckled as the golden box dropped into his hands. He smiled as he realized exactly what he wanted.

"Give me an item, the best item possible for the greatest item I can create at this time!"

Jaune opened the box, a golden light shining briefly through his room. When he opened them the notification box told him exactly what he summoned.

**ALARM!**

…**..The Fuck is that?**

Jaune narrowed his eyes, wondering the same himself. But he smiled nonetheless.

"You know…it'd be boring if it was easy…I'll try and use it tomorrow. I'll be giving it my best regardless, but anything I make for Ruby will be better than what she's currently using anyways. I have everything I need now."

**ALARM!**

**YOU HAVE STARTED A CRAFTING QUEST!**

"**A Scythe fit for a Hero!"**

**You have answered the pleas of a hero for a weapon worthy of battle! You have answered the call that others have forsaken and have taken up this contract! Create a weapon to satisfy Ruby's hopes and dreams and let the Reaper stalk the battlefield! **

**Failure: You broke Ruby's heart. The hell's the matter with you? Also you'd be starting off with a horrible reputation for any future business with other heroes but that's less important.**

**Success: Ruby's happy and you would have unleashed the power of the Reaper into the world. Lit.**

**Conditions for Quest Clearing: **

**You must craft a weaponized scythe (!?)**

**You must use Ruby's designs as a basis and her input in the final weapon design (Yay…socializing)**

**Rewards: **

**Ruby's Friendship…I can't actually force that to happen but I imagine she'd be pretty grateful. **

**Blacksmith, Enchanter, and Tailor gain XP Medium. **

**XP Medium scaling to XP LARGE X4 (Shit that's a lot of XP) depending on finished Weapon Rank.**

**Bonus Objectives:**

**The Higher the Weapon rank the greater the chance of possible bonus rewards can be!**

"As if I didn't already have enough incentive" chuckled Jaune.

The boy grabbed a skill stone and crushed it. He didn't mean to consciously, only that his body reacted to the stone being in his hands by crushing it. Jaune got a small headache as a skill was added.

**ALARM!  
Skill Acquired! Ignition Burst!**

**IGNITION BURST (LV 1):**

**Ignition Burst is a Pyromancer Class skill. A buff skill that increases the potency of all fire magic by 20%. The buff lasts for 2 minutes.**

**MP Cost: 140 MP per use. **

**Fifteen-minute cool down. **

**Activation Time: Invoke the name for immediate casting. Leveling up the skill will remove the necessity for verbal incantations.**

"Cool. Hopefully this works with my passive. I mean it should right?"

**ALARM!**

**The two are compatible skills yes. NOW GO TO SLEEP!**

Jaune shook his head in amusement but relented all the same. The System had a point after all. While it may have been true that Jaune was going to have a full day before his guild (temporary) would be entering the D rank dungeon, the fact remained that he would probably be in the forge all day…

"Ah"

**ALARM!**

**Fuck.**

It was on that day that Jaune realized he should have asked the Beacon staff something BEFORE going to bed. Did you all happen to have a forge? Considering that it was a school for heroes and by extension nobles?...

Unlikely.

**-Jaune at the front desk of the Male dorms (8:34 AM)- **

"Seriously"

"Yup" giggled the receptionist "we got one down by the auction hall. We used to have blacksmith's here at Beacon, but that was decades ago. Even when they were here most ended up getting snatched by the Merchant Guild and their deals, now that was before everyone knew it was impossible for humans to make full B Rank weapons. Now, it's just collecting dust."

"I see, thank you for the help."

The man chuckled.

"Not a worry kid. I hope Beacon's been good to you so far, but considering we get applicants from all over…I doubt its been a purely pleasant experience."

Jaune shrugged.

"Can't say it has been."

The man sighed and clicked his tongue.

"That's just unfortunate. I've sent a missive to the auction hall. It doesn't open till around one so you'll have to keep busy until then."

Jaune smiled.

"Thanks again for the help. I had promised a friend I'd help her out with a weapon situation and forgot to even ask if you had the facilities for it!"

As Jaune turned to leave he felt a small shiver run down his spine. He thought it was Salem again for a minute, but he remembered the words of Ozpin regarding her interactions. It definitely wasn't Salem though. She felt…unnervingly pleasant. This felt like it was unnervingly appreciated but unwanted?

"_I've be feeling nothing but weird stuff ever since I woke up like this"_ thought Jaune _"just buck up and keep moving." _

Jaune moved with a sense of purpose. This had a bonus effect on a certain effect of his anatomy that a certain receptionist was currently making gaga eyes at.

"Oh I love my job" he giggled "still, poor thing barely knew where he was going. What was Ozpin thinking not giving this kid the run of the land? Poor thing will be lost that's for sure. Actually do your job you old fart."

**-With Ozpin- **

The poor man was currently underneath a mountain of paper work. He had buffed himself to oblivion and had Glynda, his High Sorceress, buff him even further. He was trying his damnest to make up for the pile of work that had appeared during his weeklong stay at Jaune's town. The man, for the last few days, had felt like he had missed something incredibly important. Something that he should have remembered without fail but did. The sensation never left him even in the middle of work. It was not a good day being Ozpin that was for certain.

"How many more" begged Ozpin.

Glynda pet her cat familiar as she rose an eyebrow at Ozpin.

"You have currently another 72 pages to fulfill and then you're done. For the day."

Ozpin sighed a breath of relief. He took a swig of Oobleck's special coffee and felt rejuvenated. He hurriedly sped through what paper work he had left. Glynda took a sip of tea, enjoying her break. She too had large amounts of paperwork, but unlike her boss she kept up on it, rather then ditching it at any moment. Glynda rose an eyebrow as she spotted a letter from one of the nobles.

She quickly opened it and read through it, a frown marring her features as she finished reading it.

"Ozpin."

The man stood from his desk, a few papers clinging to his head as his eye twitched.

"We have a problem" grumbled Glynda.

"Oh for the love of the Gods please tell me its not that rogue guild again."

Glynda rolled her eyes.

"No its not them. The kingdom arrested all of them. It's Godfrey."

Ozpin sighed as he moved from the desk, quickly snatching the letter at reading it at his enhanced speed.

"He's trying to restrain Jaune even more? We already consented to the lack of orientation and a private tour. Now he's trying to have Jaune removed from the premise? This is more than just a noble disliking a labor caste. This is good. Godfrey has overstepped."

"Be that as it may" muttered Glynda "You can't do anything until your paperwork is done. Are you sure it's wise ignoring Godfrey?"

Ozpin nodded.

"Godfrey's demands only made sense to the nobles to begin with. The King has decreed that Jaune, as a prestige class, is by law required to go to Beacon. Godfrey's letter just proves that he's overstepped his bounds and now he cannot bother us, at least for a time, without involving the king and queen. But it did reveal that the Noble in charge of the Arc territory is afraid of something. It can't be Jaune himself or he would have simply done away with him long before now…unless."

Glynda slapped her hand on the desk and glared at Ozpin.

"None of that! Finish your Paperwork and get some sleep. We can handle Godfrey for now, but hypothesizing his motives will do nothing more than distract you from your work. Get it finished, get some sleep, and than we will plan our next move."

Ozpin grumbled as he went to his desk, thanking Glynda as she buffed him once again.

Once more Ozpin lamented his place in the world. He had hired Glynda in the hopes that she would lessen his workload, instead she kept him on the "straight and narrow" as she called it. She ran the school like a tight ship. Ozpin smiled evilly as he knew exactly who was going to replace him when he finally croaked. Oh, how joyful it would be to watch Glynda go through this. But for now he was stuck with the evils of paperwork….

"Glynda…why is there more?"

**-Jaune (of) Arc, Beacon's grounds-**

Jaune scowled as he tried to navigate the maze that was Beacon Academy. The Academy itself was just a giant tower that pierced the clouds in its girth and as such was easy to locate. Everything else in the makeshift city? Not so much. Beacon was surrounded by Guild buildings, small businesses, and swarming with large forests filled with Grimm and weak dungeon portals in-between. As such the grounds surrounded Beacon was a bustle of activity. Before Jaune was going to the forge he needed to make one stop first and that was meeting Ruby herself.

"JAUNE!"

Jaune jumped and spun around. Ruby giggled as she was now wearing a green tunic and blue pants. Her signature cape and hood was still around, clashing vehemently with her current wardrobe.

"Jeez you know how to scare a guy."

Ruby gave a weak chuckle as she shrugged.

"I get that a lot. Soooo…did you finish it yet?"

Like a small child excited for their toy, Ruby was jumping in her seat for her weapon. Jaune chuckled and shook his head.

"I may have skills to expedite the process Ruby but even I can't build a weapon in two hours."

"_Yet"_ thought Jaune.

"No" he continued "I came here for some input. I went over your plans and I got a general idea of what I need to do. But I thought I'd ask how you'd be using the scythe to begin with?"

Ruby pursed her lips in thought.

"Well…a lot of my skills aren't really…working" she grumbled "every scythe I use keeps breaking and my class color gets duller over time…so I don't really know honestly. I mean I know how my skills work and how to use them! Just…not how my Scythe is supposed to be used with them? It's really confusing to be honest."

It was for the first time that Jaune noticed that Ruby's name and class above her head were a lackluster blue, rather than the blazing azure like any other hero.

"_Hmm...So this is what the quest meant by a broken heart. She's putting a lot of faith in this…in someone she barely knows…how much have you been let down?"_ thought Jaune _"been told you weren't good enough?" _

The memories of his own experiences…of his mother being…

"_I'll agree….but touch my son, my husband, or anyone else in this town and I will destroy the Pendra-"_

"Uh Jaune you alright there?"

Jaune snapped out of his memory and gave Ruby a tired smile.

"Yea I'm alright, nothing to worry about. Ok…when you use a scythe do you try to cut through them like a farmer would wheat?"

Ruby gave Jaune a blank look.

"Stupid question I know, but just humor me" chuckled Jaune.

He motioned for them to sit on a bench and away from the traffic of people around them. He would have continued walking with her, but the people staring at their classes was starting to grate on him a bit.

As they sat down Ruby struggled to answer.

"I…well I rush in and try to slice through them. I aim the tip of the scythe at the enemy and push through it through. It always shatters though. Every time it does, I know I have to keep moving…that's kind of what my class is urging me to do and it gives me a headache, like…like a flow got interrupted. Keep moving, keep cutting, and let nothing remain standing. That's the kind of feel my class gives me and how I feel I should fight."

Jaune smiled.

"The scythe breaks in the middle of the shaft and at the head right?"

Ruby nodded.

"Than I know a way to solve that problem. I…let's just say I have some materials that will work on hand…but if I build this for you Ruby you have to promise me two things."

Ruby seemed to grow apprehensive, but gave a small nod, eying Jaune with a questioning glance.

"_Oh thank the gods, I was worried she was a little too trusting"_ thought Jaune.

"First is that you don't ask how I have these materials. The second is that you only pick the design. Any effects the scythe may have is entirely my decision."

Ruby blinked.

"That's it?"

Jaune nodded.

"Uh….ok."

Jaune smiled.

"Good. Pick your favored design and I'll get to work."

Jaune handed her back the papers she gave him yesterday. With practiced ease Ruby gave him the most detailed out of all the pages.

"So how long will you be?"

"I should be finished tomorrow morning. I'll be there for 1 at the dungeon."

Ruby's expression wilted at his admission.

"Wait you're not going to meet up with us later?"

Jaune smiled.

"I'd love to. But without a good weapon you won't be able to fight well, right?"

Ruby gave a regretful nod. The truth far more bitter than she ever would have liked.

"By building this weapon I'm building our offensive power, so don't worry I'll be contributing."

Ruby gave Jaune's retreating form a pout and sighed. She didn't like how he sounded there...

"Nice" she muttered "now I got to go hang out with Yang all day."

Ruby loved her sister, truly she did, but the blonde bombshell was a wild kind of woman to Ruby's more reserved attitude. It was exhausting spending days with her sibling at a time buuuut on the bright side…there was a possibility she would finally have a D rank weapon.

"OOOOOH" whispered Ruby "Maybe even a C rank!"

Ruby began daydreaming of her D and C rank fantasies. Unbeknownst to Ruby was the idea that she would be gaining a lot more than just a simple weapon. It would be hours later, deep into the night and Ruby's slumber, that the words above Ruby's head would begin to slowly regain their color.

But that is a different perspective. Earlier, before such an occurrence, Jaune had made his way to the Merchant's Guild. At the time there wasn't any need to introduce himself, nor say anything at all. The Merchant guild, that is the collection of heroes and nobles that controlled commerce within Beacon, had sent a guide for him. A small noble "Scholar" by the name of Yosef. With a quick but polite greeting the young man quickly brought him to a large stone house a ways away from the main guild house. It was filled with an open fire, oven, and anvil. The room was easily 60 feet in a perfect circle. A large room for any blacksmith. The tools were useless, at least for what Jaune was attempting to do. It took him but a few minutes to remove everything unnecessary from the building.

Jaune closed his eyes in front of a workbench and focused. The air beside him shimmered as Jaune accessed his Inventory for the first time. A storage dimension for all of Jaune's items. At the moment there didn't seem to be a limit to the number of items Jaune could carry. Which worked just fine for the young Craftsman.

"First" said Jaune "lay out all tools and materials."

Thanks to Jaune's skills, all he needed was his hammer and chisel. He would have preferred to have more tools but time was of the essence. He placed the two of them in the corner of the table.

"have the plans ready and the materials out."

The page that Ruby had given Jaune was…

Well it was useless save for a few things. The first was the general look of the scythe that Ruby wanted. Thankfully it wasn't too over-exaggerated so it was something he could work with. The second was the measurements.

"_Length for the staff is 84.5 inches. Seems she wants the scythe to be top heavy, but I'll have to implement a counter balance. Ruby's been using a farmer's scythe for so long, I doubt she realizes what proper balance is for a weapon"_ thought Jaune.

"_I'll keep the blade itself to 30 inches. The scythes Ruby have been using before seem to be the variety best suited for cutting wheat. So I'll shorten the blade slightly below average. While Ruby's frame is small she's deceptively strong. I noticed her grip strength when we shook hands, so she can definitely handle a thicker blade than what she normally carries. As an adjustment for battle I'll give both sides of the scythe a strong edge while keeping the center strong and flexible. She said it best herself, she aims the tip of the blade at her enemy, rather than the edge itself. She doesn't use it like a normal tool. An edge honed on both sides of the blade should allow it to cut through the enemy, rather than relying on Ruby to brute force it through. Now that I think about it that's probably the reason Ruby's scythe's break in the first place, they can't handle the impact." _

Jaune rubbed his chin as he looked at the unlit forge. A collection of coal had already been placed within the oven and open hearth. With a flick of his wrist Jaune ignited both. The flames barely taking a dip in his passive, thanks to it being aimed for crafting rather than combat.

"_The staff will be made from the crimson wood given to me by Gea Durga. It's strong and flexible as well and more than enough to withstand any force Ruby can currently put behind it."_

"Now, for the Blade" muttered Jaune "I'll use this."

**ALARM!**

**Are you certain? It may be B rank, but it's a little odd don't you think?**

In Jaune's hands was indeed another material beyond C rank. Jaune inspected the material just to be certain of his decision, he was pretty tired the night before.

**Inspect: Flint Steel (B)**

**Flint steel is a form of metal found in extreme Volcanic environments seeped in magic. Unlike ordinary flint, this is a material stronger than steel and can carry an edge. Ordinarily a C Rank material that shines grey like its namesake, this B rank equivalent shines with a beautiful black luster. As a B rank variant this flint steel can ignite when exposed to friction. **

**Effect: Can boost the effectiveness of fire enchantments by 25%. Decreases the effect of opposing elemental enchantments by 75%**

"It is weird" chuckled Jaune "But It's strong."

The piece before Jaune was a large chunk the size of his torso. With the help of his hammer Jaune cracked a small stone sized fragment off it. He chucked it as hard as he could and sure enough the metal ignited into a puff of flames.

"On its own the fire is weak, barely a threat" said Jaune "but thanks to the enchantments I've learned the fire this thing can produce just from being swung fast enough…it should prove effective. If not than at least it will be far stronger than what Ruby is currently used to."

**ALARM!  
This is the Player's quest. Good luck.**

"Wow you're supportive" chuckled Jaune.

For the next few hours Jaune measured each piece as necessary. It became abundantly clear that simply heating the metal and cutting the wood was not going to work. Thankfully Jaune had hours of thinking around these issues. The crimson wood that was given to him by the spirit Gea Durga, seemed to in small ways respond to his will. Jaune at first used structural grasping on the branch of Gea Durga to simply further understand the material. Within that moment Jaune noticed that it responded to his will. Very slowly it morphed to Jaune's thoughts, taking shape in accordance to his imagination. It was slow and required total concentration.

More than once the branch grew oddly or twisted in on itself, forcing Jaune to fix his mistake. But eventually, Jaune thinned the staff of the Scythe to fit the dimensions of Ruby's hands. He used Reinforcement to further strengthen the staff…but admittedly it felt like his skill did next to nothing to enhance it. Jaune had begun to notice that the back of his hands were giving off tuffs of fire, a sign of his passive reacting to his crafting process. He ignored it for the most part and focused. With a final thought Jaune made the branch morph to the required length. He made sure to feel the flow of mana and how his power helped alter the shape for future reference.

As he finished his brain, for a lack of a better term, popped.

**ALARM!**

**Through ingenious and continuous use of the STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS skill you have levelled it up three times. By understanding the flow of mana and gaining a basic understanding of altering the shape of materials you have acquired the ALTERATION skill!**

**Structural Grasping (LV4):**

**Intuitively understand the structural integrity and properties of an item. Use in conjunction with Reinforcement to increase its effect. Effect increase 15%**

**MP cost: 15 per use. High resilience is required for long term use of the skill.**

**NEW SKILL!**

**Alteration (LV1)**

**By understanding the material, it is possible to adjust its size and shape! The more mana sensitive a material the more it decreases the cost of the skill! The higher the rank of the material the more cost heavy the skill! (Not all high ranking materials are mana sensative). User's skill level also effects the skill's effects and costs. ARCANE CRAFTSMAN BONUS EFFECT: When used during the crafting process, the added mana increases an item's potency by 5%.**

**MP cost depends on rank and material.**

Jaune had never felt more excited nor deflated in his entire life. On the one hand he had learned a new skill simply through trial and error and so soon as well! On the other he had learned it through Gea Durga, a gift. Jaune had little doubt if he had used structural analysis on the Flint Steel, he wouldn't have gotten close to unlocking Alteration. It wasn't just following the mana within the branch; it was if his mana and the mana of Gea Durga were one in that instance. It showed him exactly how to use structural grasping to properly use Alteration. A gift given by a grateful and powerful spirit…whatever a spirit actually was Jaune didn't know but considering what a branch just did with him, there was no questioning the power held within.

As much as Jaune wished he learned it on his own, he wouldn't look down on such a gift. It was given from gratitude and it would be rude to do anything but accept it. A lesson taught by both his mother and father.

Jaune smiled as he grabbed the Flint Steel. He already had a plan for properly bringing the raw material to a more appropriate size. He needed to properly temper the blade, without it igniting into fire…

"…."

**ALARM!**

**...YOU'RE FIRE PROOF IDIOT! WHAT DOES IT MATTER!?**

Jaune sighed as he submitted himself to the systems divine wrath. For some reason he could have sworn he heard a familiar throaty chuckle. Jaune took his tools into his hands and took a deep breathe. The flames within the forge and oven moved with his breathing, as if fanned by his very breath. As he breathed in the fire condensed itself as he breathed out the flames burst forth even greater than before. How long as it been.

CHINK!

How long has he been without the warmth?

CHINK!  
The feeling?  
CHINK!

The smell of the forge and the warmth it provided brought Jaune back to happier times. The memories of a father who smiled and laughed with his wife and child. A mother whose strength could move mountains, but seemed to tremble every time she held him. Her golden hair, her beautiful teal eyes, and a smile that brighten the room. She was stern, powerful, and as doting as a mother could be.

To him, she was perfect. For how could a child remember a parent as anything but perfect?

When they were taken from them?

SMASH! FWOOSH.

The flames burned brightly as Jaune's passive ignited around him. The fire billowed out from windows, the doors, and even the minute openings in the roof. The fire quickly grew in intensity. It began to swirl around the building, trapping Jaune…no.

EMPOWERING Jaune's project. Unlike combat, where the flames greedily ate away at his mana reserves, they instead did the opposite here. His mana called it, the flame that existed within his soul.

SMASH!

As the flint steel cracked asunder into smaller pieces, Jaune's flames gathered it up, displacing it in front of him. So lost in thought and memories Jaune didn't even question how fire did that. With a wave of his hand Jaune discarded the unnecessary parts to the furthest corner of the room. The flames that beckoned from his soul responded to his will and attacked the amount of flint steel before him. The material ignites in its own fire. Only to be devoured instantly by Jaune's own. A flame born of a chemical reaction, no matter how mystical in nature it may have been, was no match for a flame born from magic and soul.

As his hammer swung down, slowly shaping the blade, Jaune's memories ran amok. Memories he kept buried so that he could focus solely on the survival of him and his father.

"_It's alright."_

SMASH!

"_Everything is alright."_

SMASH!

"_I must…I must leave. For your safety I must…I must leave. Know that no matter where my body may take me…my heart, my love, will always remain with you. I hope it gives you strength. For the love your father and you have given me…why my little knight. _

_It makes me the strongest in the world." _

SMASH!

A tear slowly fell. But even so a resolve began to form. As impossible as it may have been, as stupid as it may have been….Jaune now had a goal, a goal the system had made possible.

"_Do not let the darkness blind you to the light. No matter where this Geis takes me, I will always be with you. Take care of him Shi-" _

Jaune's eyes glowed crimson.

This scythe had nothing to do with his mother and what happened to her. It had nothing to do with what happened with his father. It had absolutely nothing to do with his situation. No, instead it was without a doubt the physical embodiment of the oath he swore to himself so long ago. A lesson his father instilled upon him. A promise he made to his mother. Through this weapon Jaune would help his new friend. He would help the people that mattered to him as he lived his life to the absolute fullest with zero regret.

Live long.

Live well.

Live as you please and without regret.

And so Jaune will. So Jaune has. He wanted to fight. He wanted to craft. Now…he would do both in the hopes that his strength would grow enough for him to live life as he wished…and to save his mother from her fate.

"So" growled Jaune, speaking to himself "I won't stop. I'll go further than any other if I have to!"

SMASH!

His hammer swung once more as the rough shape of the scythe's blade had taken shape.

QUENCH!

With a quench Jaune cooled the blade.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS!

Structural Analysis was used to examine the blade for weaknesses.

STOKE THE FORGE!

REINFORCEMENT!

ALTERATION!  
Jaune used the heat of his passive and the abilities of his skills to close the structural weak points of the metal.

QUENCH!

STOKE THE FORGE!  
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS!

REINFORCEMENT!

ALTERATION!

Again and again Jaune recycled the process. All the while the fire that billowed from his form kept increasing in intensity. For this is what it was born for! To burn! To create!

As the metal for the fourth time ignited in a cherry red, Jaune took out his chisel. With a deft and steady hand, Jaune closed his eyes. He was saturated in it. The mana. He kept Gea Durga's branch close, ready to merge the two pieces into one whole.

Suddenly the flames grew from a natural orange to an utterly beautiful crimson. It flaked around him, like fallen leaves from autumn and petals from roses. The flames reacted to his call, surging into the chisel as one enchantment echoed in his head.

**Enchantment: Ignition (LV1)!**

**Grant a weapon the property of fire! The weapon ignites and inflicts Burn! The chance of inflicting burn, the damage it deals, and the duration of Burn is dependent on Rank, Materials, and skill level. Current skill level: 3% burn chance and 5 burn damage per 5 seconds.**

**MP Cost: 200 per enchantment.**

No.

"Not enough" muttered Jaune "This isn't my limit!"

But Jaune didn't deter. He merged the enchantment directly into the steel. In the original design that Ruby had, her weapon was designed with flower petals. She wanted the weapon to be just as unique as her name and class. A combination of the two things that she alone took pride in.

Her weapon would reflect that.

It was sad…just plain sad that the first few people that Jaune could truly call a friend were found in dungeons and a school meant for heroes.

Jaune smirked. Even in the midst of his painful memories, of his mother's tearful smile, he was having fun! The pressure. The exhilaration! It was like fighting Grigaz all over again! The best part?

"I'm far from done!"

As he neared completing the enchantment Jaune received a warning.

**WARNING!**

**Skill level and experience in Enchanter Skill Tree too low! Material and Enchantments are leaking mana! Rank degradation is occurring.**

Unlike Gea Durga's branch, the Flint Steel was in no way grateful, or even self-aware. Its mana reacted wildly to being interacted with. Even though the enchantment was in direct elemental alignment, Jaune's knowledge in Rune Crafting was still too low to understand fully what was going on. This wasn't a simple leakage. The material's rank was dependent on the mana found within the object. Dungeon gates were measured in the same way. The greater the potency and amount of Mana the more dangerous or powerful something was.

In this instance, Jaune's Flint Steel was losing mana and potency. But he didn't hesitate. Nor did he panic. Only a fool would believe their first attempt would go flawlessly. Jaune finished the design of his enchantments, a blazing line of runes that looked like the lines of rose thorns. Even though he finished it the material still leaked power like a flood. Jaune's own mana couldn't stop it. It interfered with the escaping power, but it in no way stopped it.

Not so long as it remained B rank in power. It was than Jaune realized why making B Rank weapons and armor was considered impossible by human hands. No matter the material, an individual's own strength was necessary to maintain said materials power as it was altered. Considering how crafting classes were difficult to level up in the first place it was no wonder no one succeeded.

"So, I'm too weak to stop the flow" muttered Jaune "than if I'm too weak to plug it, let's use this!"

Jaune grabbed Gea Durga and the now completed blade of flint steel. He focused his mind as he used his new Alteration skill directly on the powerful A rank material. He wanted the Scythe to be as structurally sound as possible. Simply adding the wood through a socket or attachment to the blade would have worked. But with his new skill Jaune knew a better method.

The Scythe's blade was three inches thick, with duel edges hammered and shaped. With the Alteration skill Jaune took the wood of Gea Durga and began to slowly drive the tip of the wood straight through the middle of the metal. As the tip slowly entered the blade, Jaune had the wood expand not unlike tree roots. On the left side of Gea Durga, eighteen inches of Flint Steel stood ready. On the left end 10 inches. The wood wormed and coiled around between the two edges. It strengthens the core and would absorb the impact of collision better than any farming tool.

"Now for the next step."

Jaune activated Rune Crafting. But instead of using the chisel to draw the runes manually, Jaune instead used it like a needle, injected the enchantment directly into the material and away from sight.

**Enchantment: Fire Potency**

**Increase the potency of any fire based effect, enchantment or otherwise!**

**MP: 350 per use.**

**WARNING: Player Low on Mana**

It was too quick to notice, but the flood gates of the mana swelling within Gea Durga rushed out. It ate away at his hands and arms, skin flew off from the tips of his fingers and across his arms. Surprisingly his body was able to withstand the damage, but Jaune chocked that up to the Branch of Gea Durga itself rather than his own resilience. The mana he felt from just a stick was.

It was worlds beyond what he felt from the Flint Steel. It wasn't even comparable. It was like feeling the difference between a bucket of water to the ocean. So Jaune redirected the mana. If it wanted to escape so bad, then do so somewhere else. His nose bleed as he directed the mana overflow into the flames that surrounded him, instead of allowing it to wreak havoc in his body. All his life Jaune barely understood how mana even functioned, much less being able to control it. By using the knowledge gleamed from structural analysis and alteration, Jaune was at least capable of directed the mana.

But not without consequence. He may have lessened the strain, but he couldn't remove it entirely. He was not even B rank in strength and yet he was contesting against the sea of power that was A rank. Jaune kept focus, as his nose bled even more.

**WARNING!  
Player has taken 300 points of damage!**

His arms bled from the mana basically exploding out of them, but his muscles remained relatively untouched. He gritted his teeth as he kept sealed as many openings as he could. He sealed the structure of his new weapon as much as he could, trying to contain as much of the mana as he humanly could. He tried his best and that was all anybody could ask for.

As the holes in the structure closed, Jaune noticed that the mana began to leak in a less obvious way. But while the weapon lost less of the potency and mana, it didn't mean the pressure let up. If anything, the pressure increased. He was nearing the completion of his project; he could stop now!

"I refuse…to back down!"

Time had no meaning before Jaune. This battle…it could have been minutes or hours to Jaune. A battle of will and magic took place as Jaune tried to tame the magic of the Arcane Craftsman class. It was powerful, so very powerful. As weak as Jaune was he was dealing with A and B rank materials. But it had its consequence. By using his own mana to redirect and stall, however weakly, the displacement of mana, his own physical health took a toll.

**WARNING!**

**Player has taken 200 points of Damage!**

**Player has taken 150 points of Damage!**

**Player has taken 150 points of Damage!**

**Player has taken 50 points of Damage!**

Jaune felt the blood leave his mouth as he coughed it away.

"Damnit…guess…I wasn't strong enough."

As he fell to his knees Jaune allowed his scythe to cool and the pressure to release. To Jaune, the world grew dark as he fell asleep.

To the world, the forge exploded in a tower of flame that reeked of power. It towered so high it almost matched Beacon itself. To some it was a show of power. But to a mage worth their salt…it was a sign of someone attempting something beyond their abilities, something a class normally wouldn't allow.

As Jaune's body rested, the system took action.

**Player: Jaune (Redacted)**

**Health: 33/893 Aura: 800/800**

**Mana: 0**

**The Great Spellcaster's Blessing has been activated! **

**Explosive Regeneration active!**

**Curing all Debuffs!**

**System Notification sent: Player will receive all corresponding rewards and XP when quest is completed.**

**-The Next Day-**

The pillar of fire at first generated no extra attention. It wasn't unusual for the mage classes to have accidents after all. That was until the merchant guild awoke to the sight of their old forge reduced to ash and reeking of magic.

That sent the school staff in a frenzy. For if the forge was ash?

What happened to the smith inside it?

Thankfully the sight of burning footprints moving away from the remains told them otherwise. But the confused reaction of the Beacon staff is not the reaction that was of note for this day. No. Instead it was the reaction of one young girl's older sister.

"Is…is it really!"

Yang nodded dumbly.

"Y..yea it is! Your class! Ruby it's practically glowing!"

What was once dull and dying, was now awake and blazing with power. The skills that were once hard for Ruby to decipher and understand were now crystal clear in her mind.

"It's…it's amazing" laughed Ruby "I can't wait to tell Jaune! He's going to have something great and with this new info he might be able to make something better!

"Whoa there Rubes calm down. We still don't know why this is happening in the first place. I mean it's awesome! Mom and dad will be thrilled to hear it!...but you might be sick sis. I think we should get you checked out. Also, no offense but you might be putting too much pressure on your buddy Jaune here."

"Pfffft, I'm not sick Yang! I mean I don't feel physically different, but I feel amazing either way! And nah Jaune's gonna make something great I just know it!"

Yang gave her sister a tired smile as she hugged her close.

"I hope so too. He may be prestige Ruby, but he's also just starting out. I'm happy he's willing to help you out but don't go putting more pressure on the poor guy! It's not easy for the labor caste to level up Rubes, remember Torrin?"

Ruby opened her mouth but then closed it.

"….yea. Yea you're right. Regardless of what Jaune makes it will be great."

"Now that's the Ruby I know and love! Come on sis it's almost 12 now, let's meet the others."

Ruby waltzed through the campus grounds and through the weird summer but autumn forests to meet up with her new guild!...

That was temporary….

And had eight people….

That barely knew each other….

But was still awesome either way! Ruby grinned ear to ear, excited to see what else the day held. For so long she was worried that her class was useless. To have a class that existed outside the class system was a death sentence in this world. You wouldn't find work anywhere outside of the more…illegal side of things. At least, that's what Ruby assumed anyway. There hadn't been any record of there ever having been a useless class, but knowing her luck she would of course have been the first.

Thankfully that now wasn't the case! Her once dead floppy colored class was now blazing brighter than any others…wait what?

Ruby looked above her head and sure enough, when in comparison to all the other blue colored classes, hers burned brighter and stronger than the others. Now that she thought about it, Ren's class shone the same as hers.

Their classes were unusual in that way.

"_Doesn't matter!"_ thought Ruby "_just focus on the day!" _

After walking down a trail of red trees and numerous signs, Ruby and her sister quickly saw their makeshift guild, all standing in front of a swirling mass of blue energy, their D rank gate.

"Hey guys!"

Weiss was the first to notice them. Giving them a polite nod in greeting, she seemed to focus heavily on the gate, as if trying to analyze it for something.

"RUBY!"

"NORA!"

The two red heads rushed towards each other and happily hugged. Nora's infectious energy was an effective way of removing Ruby's shyness as the two got along swimmingly.

"Yang! How's the morning?" asked Nora.

Yang shrugged.

"Some good news but nothing too extraordinary."

"Oh, you mean like Ruby's class shining like Ren's?"

Yang sweat dropped as she gave a weak smile and nod. Nora grinned cheekily as Ren examined Ruby's words.

"Interesting. I wonder what caused the change?"

"Are you alright?" asked Pyrrha in worry "I hope nothing happened."

"Jeez you're just as bad as Yang" muttered Ruby "I'm fine. I don't feel any different or more powerful if that's what you're asking…it just feels like something…turned on I guess."

Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly frowned again.

"Has anyone seen Jaune?"

Weiss bit her lip as she looked around.

"It…doesn't seem like he's here yet."

Blake shrugged in her corner of shade.

"It's only twelve, we're expected to enter at 1. He's got time."

"He didn't show up yesterday" said Weiss.

The girl rubbed her arm and looked away.

"You don't think he?"

Ruby shook her head.

"Nah he wouldn't ditch! He told me he was making me a new Scythe, said something about contributing to the group!"

Weiss closed her eyes and winced.

"_Damnit"_ she thought _"I thought…I just wanted to be better."_

Pyrrha placed her hand on Weiss's shoulder.

"Everything will be alright."

Weiss sighed.

"I hope so. I didn't mean to insult him yesterday. It was just…surreal. I still can't wrap my head around a labor caste surviving so many dungeons runs, even if he was a porter."

"He's not useless" grumbled Ruby.

Weiss glared at the girl.

"You don't think I know that? Don't forget that there's a difference in specialty here. I wouldn't send Pyrrha to the backline just as you wouldn't send me to fight with a sword. Jaune is a labor caste, a craftsman. I'm worried he may get himself hurt in here."

Ruby blinked.

"…oh" she muttered.

Weiss rubbed her eyes.

"I'm…sorry. I don't mean to snap or be rude it's just…Vale is so different than what I expected."

"So, you're from Atlas" said Blake.

Weiss gave a weak smile as she crossed her arms.

"Was it that obvious?"

Blake gave the girl a neutral stare.

"You're better than most."

To Ruby and the others, the comment made little sense. But to Weiss, it was enough to lift her spirit.

"Yeesh we're just full of drama aren't we?" chuckled Nora.

Without warning Nora grabbed Weiss by the shoulders, making the poor girl uncomfortable with the proximity.

"Have no fear! For Nora is here! We'll charge in kicking ass and taking names! When we pass, we'll celebrate and decide on a proper guild name!"

Ren shook his head with a smile as everyone stared at the Berserker. Weiss notice the warmth between the people here…so vastly different from home…so willing to forgive the small mistakes. Weiss gave a brief shake of her head, her confidence returning in droves.

"You'd need me just for a good name" chuckled Weiss.

It was a weak attempt at humor and an obvious sign of Weiss's lack of experience in social groups. But Nora's bright grin eased the atmosphere with practiced ease.

"Come on! Let's be honest, we all had fun yesterday making plans! Just wish Jaune was there, then it truly would have been a guild activity!"

Pyrrha giggled as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"True" said Pyrrha "I wasn't expecting it to go so well. I thought Weiss and Yang would be fighting with each other for leadership again."

Yang gave Pyrrha a look of betrayal as Weiss retreated a bit into herself.

"Hey man, getting shown up by a labor caste in a hero profession will make anyone swallow their pride. By the way, after this we're all going to the bar! My treat, within reason" she grumbled.

Pyrrha blushed as she smiled sheepishly. Ren watched the whole interaction with Blake, enjoying the ambient atmosphere this group generated. Unlike the ravenous attitude of the larger and older guilds, this one was relaxed and soothing.

Exactly what Ren was looking for.

"Let's see how we fight together before we start making plans" said Ren.

Everyone chuckled, but grew quiet at the sound of crunching grass. It was heavy and the smell of ash wafted through their noses. In the distance in what was obviously new clothes, was one Jaune Arc(?).

"Jaune!" yelled Ruby "You made it!"

Jaune looked up at his temporary guild mates and smiled.

"Well this is a surprise. Wasn't expecting everyone to be here so early."

He had come in from off the trail and instead from the opposite direction. As he drew closer the smell of metal and ash grew. It wasn't overbearing, but it was noticeable.

"You alright there?" asked Yang "seem a bit drained."

Jaune smiled as he slung the scythe off his shoulder. Brown sickly wood that was smoothed down for comfort was attached to a thin blade. The blade seemed overly grey and dull. Everyone inspected the scythe.

**Scythe (Rank:?)**

**?**

**Locked:?**

Ruby swallowed her distaste at the weapon. It was…well it was ugly. The inspect skill revealed nothing and it looked like it would break if she held it. But she held her tongue. It wasn't fair to Jaune to not at least try equipping it.

Jaune noticed her distaste and smirked.

"Not to your liking?"

Ruby blushed.

"I'm sorry! I don't mean to be ungr-"

Jaune held out the weapon.

"Give it a try first. See how it is."

Yang gave a sisterly smile to Jaune and pushed her sister forward a little. To Yang, everyone started somewhere and Jaune had just started his journey. Some constructive criticism was what he needed and Ruby was the best sort of expert to ask. Everyone seemed to have made a judgement on the rather disgusting looking weapon…all except one.

Weiss stared holes into weapon, her eyes glowing an azure blue. To the others the inspect skill revealed nothing. Nothing at all. To the unexperienced this would normally lead others to believe that the weapon was worse than anything. That it was rankless.

But the weapon before her reeked of magic, almost like a-

It was if it went by in slow motion. Jaune's smile grew as Ruby clasped both hands on the scythe. She blinked at the shockingly comfortable grip, but more importantly was shocked that the scythe felt thicker in her hand than its appearance suggested. In fact, It didn't even feel like wood. Suddenly everyone's inspect skill activated.

**Scythe (Rank:?)**

**Class Requirement met. Removing restrictions.**

WOOSH.

It was a blink. That's all it took. In one breath there was an ugly brown sickly scythe. In the next the wood was a pristine crimson and the blade now edged and dangerous. Ruby blinked, as if trying to ward off a dream. The black metal was covered in rose like thorns. The markings pulsated with red enchantments as power now made itself known. Ruby's class and skills sang through her mind, with a few even outright unlocking in this instance. Whereas before Ruby had only two skills, she now had four. She blinked again.

The weapon dropped from her hands as she backed away. It hit the ground, igniting during the fall as it dug into the ground. The grass around it burst into flames, but quickly died out with Jaune's interference. Red embers shaped like rose petals fell from the metal, showering the weapon in a makeshift petal fall. Red shaft, perfectly balanced and straight. A duel edge worthy of an instrument of war that was covered in red markings. The center of the blade was housed in wood. Simple in design. Beautiful in appearance.

Ruby's lips quivered as she stared at the impossible. Never in her life would she have imagined, THIS is what Jaune created for her. She had to be sure. She spammed her inspect Skill but it said the same thing over and over.

**Inspect:**

**The War Scythe: A Burning Thorn (Rank: B)**

**A dream brought forth by the hands of man, an impossibility made manifest, this is not a weapon meant for heroes. This is a weapon meant for one and one alone. Only one may wield its strength. **

**For is not as they always say? Every Rose needs its Thorns. So, reap away little Reaper. **

**Show the world what you can do.**

**Class Restricted: Reaper.**

**Effect: 45% chance to ignite with every swing! Burn is afflicted with ignited hit damage. Burn does 15 damage per second for 10 seconds. Burn can be stacked up to 3 times.**

The great thing about the inspect skill was that it was unique, roughly, to each person. Everyone else saw the inspection of the weapon as something a little different. But the message was clear. This scythe could only be used by Reapers and as of now?

There was only one.

"So, do you li-URK!?"

Jaune felt his ribs creak as Ruby was suddenly hugging him.

"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!"

Ruby's eyes watered as she smiled at Jaune.

"Thank you" she whispered.

Jaune grinned as he patted her head.

"Glad to be of service" said Jaune "be sure to recommend me!"

Ruby laughed at Jaune's goofy grin. She disappeared once again, but was now seen hugging her new weapon close to her, reaffirming its existence.

**ALARM!**

**You have completed the Quest: A Scythe fit for a hero!**

**High XP for Blacksmith, Enchanter, and Tailor Skill tree have been induced.**

**Multiple Skill trees and skills have levelled up! Refer to the skill tree for more information!**

**Large XP has been rewarded!**

**You have levelled up!**

**You have levelled up!**

**You have levelled up!**

**Store has been unlocked!  
A ? Quest has been started. Complete Beacon Orientation to learn more.**

Jaune felt the rush of energy rejuvenate him as he levelled up. He smiled at the blinking expression of Ruby.

"You just levelled up?"

Jaune nodded.

"A few times. Since this was a request from you I only got the XP when I delivered it. Now, if I'm not mistaken, we got a dungeon to conquer right? Besides gotta see that Scythe in action."

Ruby smiled as she brandished her weapon. Everyone was shook out of their stupor.

"I…I was told it wasn't possible" said Weiss "but I guess it had to happen eventually. If…if you don't mind explaining how you did it?"

Jaune turned to the mage and smiled.

"I don't mind. We can talk more in the dungeon, don't want to waste too much time right?"

"Any chance you can crap out a pair of B rank gauntlets for me?" joked Yang.

Jaune grimaced.

"No. It took everything I had and rare materials to make Ruby's scythe. I'm too weak to reliably make B ranks right now. Any material I use that's above me in rank rapidly loses power. Not to mention to the backlash."

Ruby gripped her scythe in shock. Jaune chuckled.

"Relax Ruby, it was due to my inexperience not you. Give me a bit more time to grind my skills and level and I'll be glad to help you" said Jaune.

Yang grinned.

"Oh I'm definitely hoping this guild stays."

Jaune laughed.

"Hopefully I can show you I'm more than just your blacksmith."

Yang gave a flirtatious grin.

"Is that a promise."

Jaune knew the type before Yang even uttered a word. She was a flirt. A tease. Not to mention totally uninterested in the male body. It didn't take a genius to notice that Yang kept staring at Blake…or was she really interested in both? There was after all only two guys here and Ren was taken. Not that it mattered anyways. Jaune just grinned.

"Probably not in the way you're thinking, but yes."

Pyrrha blush a little as Jaune turned to face her.

"Ready to go?"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded.

"Yes."

Jaune looked at the dungeon gate and smiled.

"_Well, here I go again"_ he thought.

As the group entered the dungeon, they remained blissfully unaware of the two mages watching them enter the dungeon having followed Jaune from his…uh explosive forging. Ozpin had a small grin on his face at Glynda's stupefied expression.

"Did he make a?"

"Yup."

"….you're going to abuse this aren't you?"

"Against our opponents? Of course" muttered Ozpin "but not against Jaune. Like he said he's too weak to reliably make B rank weapons. Best to let him grow and see what else he can do. His own skills will be an excellent deterrent for getting the nobility off my back and in turn his own. By the time he leaves Beacon, he should be untouchable, politically anyway."

Glynda rubbed her eyes and shook her head.

"Hopefully he does well. Don't need him failing the initiation."

Ozpin shrugged as he turned to go back to his office.

"Let's see what else you can do" thought Ozpin.

Unbeknownst to Ozpin himself, a certain goddess agreed.

"**Yes, show me more, my little mortal."**

**CHAPTER END**

**New Skills and Improvements! (Also Jaune's Charisma Stat wasn't in chapter one so it will be added here! Also Dex and Agi have had stat points invested into them from the two daily training's that Jaune has completed, that addition will be shown as well.)**

**Jaune LV 17 – LV 20**

**STR: 35–65 (A)**

**CON: 35–65 (A)**

**DEX: 35-50 (C) **

**AGI: 35-50 (C) **

**INT: 53 – 83 (A)**

**WIS: 42 – 72 (A)**

**CHA: 35-56 (B)**

**RES: 84-124 (EX)**

**Health: 1183 Aura: 800 = 1983**

**Mana: 1650**

**Stats do not grow evenly per level. The higher the ranking for a stat (A) the greater the possible number of stat points one can gain per level. The list of possible stat increases a rank gives per level is given below. **

**Min: 5 Max: 10**

**Min: 5 Max: 7 **

**Simply gives 5**

**Min: 2 Max: 4**

**Min: 1 Max: 2**

**(S) Min: 15 Max: 20 **

**(EX) Unpredictable growth rate. Can reached unprecedented stat enhancements but is impossible to predict and measure hence its rank. It is the only rank that can reach higher than S or generate 0 gains.**

**Passives: **

**No new passives. However, the bonus of 25% to all crafting was a critical part in Jaune's ability to hold out AND interact with much higher grade of mana.**

**Skills (Only new Skills are displayed here): **

**Alteration**

**?**

**? (Find out what these are in chapter 4!)**

**Skill Trees: **

**Blacksmith (Advance +)**

**Your overall skill in this tree allows for the creation of up to C rank weapons and armor, with a small chance of B rank. You are not limited by design. Advance your skills to increase the overall performance of any skill tree. +40% to all weapon and armor crafting. You are at the precipice of Advance. Just a few more skill developments and you will transition to Expert.**

**Enchanter (Advance):**

**You have stepped firmly into the world of enchanting. Fire remains the means of creation but your mind has been expanded and new horizons lie before you. The knowledge bestowed upon you by Salem gives you a boost in skills and XP within this skill tree. Is limited to C Rank enchantments. +15% to all enchantments. Check your reward box for achievement rewards!**

**Tailor (Beginner): **

**You have earned the right to choose a skill to awaken! However, your skill is still that of a beginner. You can create E-D rank items. You are limited in what blueprints you understand. **

**Alchemist (Locked):**

**Still locked. Make an alchemic item to progress.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Patch Notes: Current stats for Jaune have been updated to V.2. Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 4:

This was not a new experience for Jaune. The entering of a dungeon was a common feeling for him. Walk through the whirling mass of energy, feel a small tingle, a bright light, then suddenly you're in a whole new environment. The red autumn forest was now replaced with a subterranean tunnel that seemed to go endlessly into the darkness. Thankfully the tunnel was lined with large patterns that glowed with a dull yellow light, a sign of magic existing within the material.

Jaune narrowed his eyes at the sound of growling. He noticed that within the shadows stalked a beast. Its eyes a pure crimson, it's body as dark as the shadow it nested within. On four paws with a maw and tail, the beast in question resembled a wolf quite strongly. But it was the furthest thing from. While the apperance matched, the unquenchable animosity and hatred that stemmed from it was anything but instict.

"So I guess a few Grimm got in before us huh?"

"Would explain why there was none outside the gate. Shall we Nora?"

"Oh yea!"

Jaune watched the pair fire off in synchrony. The blade at Ren's side flashed from the sheath, a head of one of the Grimm rolling on the ground. Finesse and skill were apparent as Ren sheathed his sword. Nora was all power though. She kept her weapon, an axe, strapped on her back as she just hammered away at a few of the wolves with her fist. She chuckled as she picked one up by the maw and hind legs and threw it into another. She took a deep breath as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Yea…this is what I live for."

Ren shook his head but a small smile was easily noticeable. For the first time in his life, Jaune casted inspect on the wolves. He had never thought to Inspect an enemy until recently but like the punishment zone showed him, there was a lot to learn when he did.

INSPECT!

**Beowulf (LV 12) **

**A creature born from the shadows of mankind's negativity, this beast resembles a wolf both in appearance and tactics. But don't be fooled, these are ferocious beasts that kill with a zeal no animal would ever carry. They do not hunger, they do not tire, and they will not stop. This is a member of the oldest enemy of humanity but even so it is still weak. They will drop small amounts of lien and possible drops. As they are native to the land of Remnant and not a creature of the dungeons, they too have levels and experience. As they reproduce asexually, they lack the "STAT INHERITANCE" that other species have. However, their immortal lifespans make it their overall potential limitless. Be wary of the Grimm…for they always learn.**

"_Interesting, I didn't know that about them. I always dismissed them as a lesser threat…but if the system itself is warning me than its best to not underestimate any Grimm I come across"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune smiled as he appreciated the skill that lied in Ren and Nora's teamwork. It must have taken a long time for them to work so seamlessly together. Jaune blinked as he watched his guild mates go into formation. Proof that they at least talked and formulated a plan. It was apparent to Jaune that they had placed him in the back with Weiss, with Pyrrha playing mid-ground to effectively move back and forth from the front and back lines. Blake was skulking in the shadows, acting as a scout. Yang just chilled with Pyrrha while Ruby looked eager to join in the fray. Unfortunately there was so few enemies at this time that it was more likely they'd simply bump into each other then help. There was a lot of room in this tunnel, but even if it was large enough for them to space out comfortably, it wouldn't always be so as more enemies became apparent.

"So" asked Jaune "any plans?"

Weiss seemed to awkward collect herself as she nodded.

"Of course. I'm sorry you weren't included but-"

"_Yikes"_ thought Jaune _"this girl needs to relax. She seems overly concerned about being rude." _

"Don't worry about it" said Jaune "I was busy after all, wasn't like you all secretly met without me. I'm the one that ditched, even if it was for a good reason in my opinion."

Weiss glanced at Ruby's scythe and swallowed.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

Jaune sighed.

"Yea. I created the first B rank weapon…which is just…amazing" smiled Jaune. His smile was quick to dull however as he looked down.

"This is going to change everything. Especially if people want custom pieces right away. I barely know any enchantments and I'd rather not be locked into a forge. Nor would I want to be picked at by Atlas…uh no offense."

Weiss tilted her head. She seemed more surprised that Jaune had an inkling of Atlas's reputation than any perceived insult. Thankfully after a minute it seemed like Weiss decided not to press further on the subject.

"I thought you would prefer a forge over a dungeon?"

Jaune smiled as he rubbed the back of his head. The tunnel was eerily quiet, but everyone here had some limited experience with dungeons, hence the rather light atmosphere that Jaune was enjoying.

"Well perhaps a normal smith. But for me…there's more to life than being a smithy. I love the forge…but I love this just as much. Perhaps it's me being greedy but I want to live and do as much as I humanly can. I'd rather not limit myself to just one thing, as much as I love it."

Weiss seemed to brighten at his explanation. A look of envy crossed her eyes as a small smile blossomed on her face.

"It must be nice to think that way."

Jaune smiled at the smaller woman.

"I think you'd be surprised how easy it is."

Weiss gave a small pout in annoyance but remained silent. Jaune rose an eyebrow as the group readied suddenly.

"Enemy?"

"Arachnids!" yelled Blake.

Jaune grimaced.

"Oh no."

Weiss rose an eyebrow.

"Are you ok?"

Jaune nodded.  
"I'll be fine…just really hate spiders."

The Arachnids, the actual denizens of the dungeon itself, were all ranked D. They were about the size of a small dog. Fuzzy and bug eyed the critters could even be called cute. But Jaune's ashen expression just spelled utter disdain for the things in front of him. Once again, the simplicity of the dungeons design worked in their favor.

A tunnel system with no branching tunnels made ambushes virtually impossible, a real concern for higher tier dungeons. Not to mention made it easy to spot enemies. Blake was…somehow on top of the ceiling throwing knives at a few spiders. Ruby cheered as she rushed forward, ignoring the shouts of Yang. Jaune's face fell even further as he realized that from the darkness of the tunnels, dozens of the creatures were scampering about. All intent on murdering them all. The poor boy shivered. Ruby was undaunted however.

Her scythe glowed brightly as the friction of Ruby's speed ignited the metal. She tore through one, smiling brightly at the fact her scythe didn't break upon impact. Actually, it had cut so well Ruby lost her footing. She seemed to blur back into action however, her speed increasing even further as she spun around, killing three more in a row. Ruby faltered as something seemed to stop her cold. She shook her head but by then a small spider was already aiming for her back. A knife courtesy of Blake stopped the plan cold. Ren and Nora stood on either side of Ruby, killing off the rest of the enemies. Ren nodded at her, a small smile in appreciation of her rapid dispatch of the spiders. Nora was smiling away, but both carried an air of worry for the younger guild mate. The silence was destroyed as Yang marched over, quickly checking Ruby over.

"Are you alright!" yelled Yang.

"I'm fine" said Ruby "I'm…sorry I wasn't expecting to cut through them so easily! Not to mention…"

"What are you hurt!?"

Ruby swallowed.

"A skill activated."

Yang blinked and then started to laugh. She shook her head.

"I forget you've never actually had that happen before. It's one of those passive skills you told me about right?"

Ruby nodded.

"I need a moment to…absorb this there's a lot of information right now."

"Can't slow down" said Pyrrha "not yet anyway, were deep in their territory. While the spiders themselves are weak they're large in number. Best to wait until we reach a safe zone."

Jaune smirked at Pyrrha, her experience readily apparent. Gone was the shy girl and in her place a confident woman, the best kind in Jaune's opinion. Still though the overall teamwork could be better for the group as a whole. Everyone was skilled for their age as much as Jaune could tell but they were shit with working with strangers.

"_Not like I'm an expert myself." _

The thought brought a smile on his face, even as Jaune filtered through the group. It was obvious that Yang and Ruby were their own unit, with Blake a standalone, Ren with Nora, and Pyrrha as a sole fighter. They were just all so overpowered for this dungeon that the minions didn't require any forethought. But Jaune was well aware of how dungeons worked. It wasn't the minions that were an issue in the power ranks. It was the final boss monster that existed within the dungeons that was the problem. They carried the bulk of the dungeons power and were worlds apart from their weaker minions in terms of danger and ability. It was definitely something to fix, but for all Jaune knew they already had a plan, they were heroes after all. Unlike Jaune these people spent their entire lives knee deep in hero culture. Dungeons, skills, tactics, and most of all power came naturally to them.

Still…Jaune felt annoyed at his lack of participation. He kept telling himself that it was normal. He was after all just a labor caste. It was like asking a Farmer class to build a house instead of an Architect. Why on earth would you bother? The image of Jaune standing victorious amongst a sea of flames came unbidden to his mind.

It was normal. This was all normal.

"Shit."

Jaune blinked at the unexpected curse. Blake, still shrouded in her cloak, pulled one of her knives out from the corpse of the spider. Their green blood steamed as they ate away at the metal. It wasn't enough to harm Blake, thanks to stats and levels, but her normal throwing knives were not prepared to weather acid. Already her other knives were long gone. Blake clicked her tongue as she casted the least damaged knife away. Jaune smiled as he walked towards it. He picked it up, ignoring Blake for but a moment.

It was a well-balanced knife. It was 6 inches of hardened steel but even without inspecting it Jaune could tell it lacked magical power. The knife glowed red as Jaune activated his passive. Reinforcement, Alteration, and quench quickly repaired the knife back to full durability. It lost a bit of its length but overall, it was back to how it was. Jaune chuckled at the stupefied expression Blake had as he threw the knife back to her. With a practiced hand Blake caught the knife deftly, sheathing it back somewhere under her cloak.

"Don't worry about your knives" said Jaune "I can repair them quickly…well if they're not totally destroyed like the others. Rather you not just spam them at the spiders though, only have so much Mana at my disposal."

As much as Jaune found himself liking the group he was with, he wasn't going to mention that little fix barely dipped his mana reserves. Yang smiled as she rolled her neck. She chuckled as she smashed her fist together. Nora gave a dark chuckled as she cracked her knuckles.

"Seems they need a good old-fashioned beat down! No sense in getting our weapons damaged if that's the case."

Nora, for the first time since Jaune met her, distanced herself from Ren and clasped Yang on the shoulder.

"I knew I felt something between us! Come let us break legs!"

Yang rolled her eyes at the jubilant berserker with a smile.

"You just never lose energy huh?"

Nora wiggled her eyebrows making Yang laugh harder. Pyrrha smiled as she took a hesitant step forward. Her sword was sheathed as she rubbed her hands together.

"I too have some hand to hand skills, I can join in the front lines if you like."

"For sure!" yelled Nora "seems to me these guys attack in larger and larger droves as we move on. Have to say though its kind of boring how its all just a random tunnel. No forks, no deviations, just a straight line."

Weiss scoffed.

"Come now, this is a test. I doubt Beacon would allow examinees to tackle dungeons that may take hours to navigate. This is simply to gauge if we're ready for Beacon Academy's strenuous regiment. If we can't clear a simple dungeon, what hope do we have to clear anything of greater difficulty?"

Jaune rubbed his chin in thought.

"I say go carefully. Like Yang said, best to hit the spiders with melee attacks. If your weapons lack mana than they're just going to get destroyed by their blood in the first place."

Ren sighed as he moved from the front line and into Pyrrha's position. He smiled as he moved even further towards Jaune. He drew his sword presenting it to the craftsman.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you but could you please examine my sword?"

Jaune smiled and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't expecting a D rank dungeon to have acidic or poisonous enemies either. Nora's axe should be fine, it has some magic surrounding it."

Nora cradled her axe as a mother would a child.

"Found this baby by total and utter accident. It's my pride and joy."

Jaune looked at Ren surprised. Ren shrugged as he nodded.

"She's not kidding. She accidentally fell in a cave and there it was."

"Wait seriously?" asked Weiss.

Ren nodded.

"Nora has a strange kind of luck. The kind of luck that attracts things both good and ill. It's never boring with her is all I can say."  
"oh you love me" purred Nora "I just know it."

Ren smiled as he remained silent.

"I'm surprised we haven't been attacked again" muttered Weiss.

"Makes sense" said Jaune "most colony-based monsters are territorial by nature. They tend to only attack when you enter their territory. In the weaker dungeons like this one said territories are spread widely, making it easier to regroup heal up. Also, D rank dungeons are not known for intelligent monsters. Treat these more like drones than individuals. But don't trust me on that, I mostly watched to be honest."

Ren smiled.

"You seem quite knowledgeable. To be expected of someone with your dungeon experience."

Jaune's face went blank as he recalled the dungeons like this one. How many times he faced spider like creatures in the many MANY D rank dungeons he was a porter for. The sheer number of times a spider dropped from the ceiling only to wrap their long, ugly, disgusting legs around his face. Their meaty undersides chocking his-

"I'll check your sword and we can hurry right along" chuckled Jaune.

Everyone in that moment decided to ignore the slightly broken chuckle that escaped Jaune's mouth.

**INSPECT!  
**

**Katana: C Rank**

**A traditional blade design native to the diverse land of Vacou. A katana is the symbol of the Samurai class and is the only kind of "Sword" weapon they can equip. Thanks to the style of forging this Katana is strong and flexible but the small amount of mana found within it only bequeaths this ingenious** **design a mere C rank. A fate that is sadly widespread for the large array of weapon designs, no matter their incredible quality. **

**Durability: 567/700**

Jaune used his skills to quickly increase the durability by an additional hundred points. But that was all it did. With Grind Ren's sword was back to pristine condition.

"There" said Jaune.

Ren smiled in gratitude.

"Thank you. It would have been troublesome fighting a boss with a damaged weapon..."

Jaune shrugged. He ignored he surprised look on Ren's face as the young man looked at his sword. Probably wasn't expecting the durability to be slightly restored.

"It's what I'm here for" muttered Jaune.

The comment stung in his chest far more than Jaune would have liked. It didn't sit right with him, where he was. The taste of battle…it was a taste that one did not soon forget.

Nor relinquish.

But Jaune steel his heart. He ignored the group as they kept fighting. Weiss was in a similar position, but unlike himself she was firing icicles at the spiders from afar. She did so lazily and used the thin sword to direct the ice. Finding himself in the back area again Jaune decided it was time to check what exactly he had gained in his levels and also to check something that had been bothering him ever since he awoken as a player. That and it would distract him from all of this fighting.

"_System"_ thought Jaune _"reveal all new unchecked information?"_

It was worth a shot to Jaune. Having to go through the entire interface was somewhat of a pain.

**ALARM!  
**

**Decided to get a little lazy huh? Jeez.**

**NEW SKILLS!  
DISMANTLE (LV 1)**

**Allows for the complete destruction of an item. Current level of skill allows 0 reusable material. **

**Cost: 350 MP**

**WEAVING (LV 1): **

**Congrats on your first tailor skill! This skill allows for the reconstruction of materials into usable clothe. Ratio of material converted into clothe is 20%.**

**Yay, yet another bunch of meh skills.**

"_Alright that's enough"_ thought Jaune _"you can stop."_

Jaune thanked the gods that all his guild mates were walking ahead of him. Not could see the stony expression Jaune now bore nor the small amount of pressure he began to exclude.

**ALARM!**

**Whatchu talking about willis?**

"_You don't have to mimic human interaction anymore"_ thought Jaune "_its actually starting to get creepy. You started of clinical and to the point. Much like Ozpin was with me when we first met. Then after the train ride you started copying the interactions that everyone else had. Sometimes you're like a sibling or something, a close friend, or just flat out insult me like an enemy. You probably copied that from all the various people on the train. Then after Ruby you were more soft spoken and reserved. I don't know why you're trying to mimic human emotions but it's obvious you're not very consistent at it."_

ALARM!  
…

"_What I need is power"_ thought Jaune _"You're giving me the opportunity to gather that power, so don't worry about tricking me into doing your bidding or following your rules. Besides if you were my friend you wouldn't have sent me to that punishment zone. The very concept itself tells me that you would have left me to die there if it couldn't take it. In fact, you kept pushing me to get sent to that very zone. It was only after I didn't die you changed your tune. So enough. There's no need for tricks with me. You don't need to lead me on a leash. So long as you give me the opportunity to gather strength…I'll play along with whatever the hell this is, for the rest of my life if I have to. The only thing you need to do? Is not get in the way."_

**ALARM!**

**Is the Player sure they wish to dampen the "Friendly" interface?**

"_I knew it"_ thought Jaune _"this…thing is using me…no…I can't comprehend what this thing's goal is. It may not even have one in the first place. System, dampen the...whatever you called it."_

**ALARM!**

**Understood. Attempts at Friendly interface have been reduced.**

"_System, what is the purpose of the Friendly Interface system?" _

The system didn't answer. At least not immediately. Jaune took that time to have a quick look around. Nora was laughing manically as she threw a spider at another spider, causing the two to explode on impact. Her victorious roar was a sight to behold, her axe buried in the wall behind her.

"Please Nora, stop throwing your axe" begged Ren.

"NEVER!"

Jaune heard the familiar ding that brought his attention back to the blue box.

**ALARM!  
Players past have ignored the system due to unfamiliarity and intense distrust. To ensure the player's growth the "Friendly" interface is used to grow trust.**

"_I knew it" thought Jaune "it was trying to manipulate me. It wants me to use it, to grow from it…but why? No…I need to focus on the now. Not on this. This is something for later."_

Jaune turned off the system. From what he could gather its whole "Personality" was an attempt at…immersing himself with it? From that little bit Jaune gathered the system wanted to be used. Yet, why send him to the punishment zone? The whole thing made no sen-.

Jaune almost halted in movement as he realized something. He was treating the system as if it was a person…but it wasn't. Whatever it was…it was not human and yet Jaune kept trying to decipher it like it was. It was the greatest paradox that Jaune had ever come across. The system wanted him to stay alive in order to "grow" yet had no problem sending him off to die as a punishment.

It was dangerous…but Jaune needed it.

DING!

"_Didn't I turn you off?"_ thought Jaune.

**ALARM!**

**The System is here to support the Player's growth! The player has earned the right to access and use the system. The system's power is the players to use as they see fit, so long as they continue to grow. This system interface will have no other player.**

**So, chin up kiddo.**

With that the system disappeared. A last-ditch attempt at calming Jaune down.

"_Guess the thing's not omniscient. Because if it was it would have realized I'm not freaking out…I think I should be, shouldn't I? I mean I'm being controlled by a mysterious power that grants me the opportunity for more power in exchange for greater risks…"._

The sound of laughter veered Jaune away from his thoughts on the nature of his new existence. Jaune eyed Ruby, who was now blazing through the battlefield…she was indeed laughing…but it wasn't the one Jaune heard. What Jaune heard was…throaty…sensual even…

"_No"_ thought Jaune _"Ozpin said she only appeared once to each person…"._

Jaune shook his head. He needed to clear his thoughts of reality bending systems and sexy dangerous wish granting Goddess.

"_Focus." _

And so Jaune did. He continued to watch Ruby as she was cutting apart her enemies, another troupe of spiders, far faster than any of the others. She kept getting faster and faster, her attacks more aggressive as time went on. She was almost a blur by the time she killed the last spider so far. As the last spider fell Ruby….uh…

"Is she?"

Weiss sighed.

"It would appear she's hugging the scythe yes."

Jaune just smiled and shook his head. His gaze went to Pyrrha, who stood tall and proud. Her eyes constantly scanning the tunnel for any sign of the enemy, even amongst the still twitching corpses. Yang clicked her tongue watching her sister, berating her again for just rushing in but then switching gears to compliment her.

They felt so…far away. Even Weiss, who was close to him, felt far away.

"Alright that's it" muttered Weiss.

With a flick of her hand, the furthest part of the tunnel froze over in a thick shield of azure ice, thus barricading the group from progressing. Blake suddenly appeared beside Yang giving the poor girl a near heart attack.

If you ask Jaune, she probably did it on purpose.

"I can sense a surge of mana in the distance" said Weiss "we probably have one or two more groups before the boss. While I wish to finish this quickly as much as the rest of you, its better to rest and prepare."

Weiss's words rung true. Pyrrha didn't seem to relax one bit, but Nora just plopped herself on the floor as close to Weiss as she could be, legs spread as she leaned back on her arms. Ren joined her, his eyes closed in a quiet moment of silence. If Jaune's eyes didn't play tricks on him…he swore the guy was smiling. Slowly but surely everyone followed suit, sitting in a circle with each other. It eased the feeling of distance that Jaune felt, even if he barely understood why he felt it.

"Any plans?" muttered Yang.

"Some" said Weiss "Depends on what exactly we're fighting. If the spiders are any indication whatever is in front of us is probably an arachnid of some kind."

"So just a bigger minion".

"D Rank dungeons are simple. But I wouldn't just prepare for another spider" said Pyrrha.

The poor girl blushed as she looked away.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to blurt it out like that!"

Yang rolled her eyes as she smiled.  
"Ah calm down, we all need a reality check from time to time. How you holding up?"

It took a Jaune a minute to realize that Yang's question was directed at him. He ignored the twinge of annoyance.

"Not my first run" chuckled Jaune "don't worry about me."

Yang grimaced.

"GAH! Sorry, not used to…this you know? Not to say you're baggage or anything just…I'm just gonna shut up that cool?"

Jaune shrugged. She was already a hundred times better than some of the heroes he had come across. The really stuck up ones that thought they were Remnants gift to people.

"It's alright" said Jaune "I have to admit this has been far from what I envisioned it becoming."

"You thought we were going to be dicks huh?"

Jaune actually laughed loudly at Nora's proclamation.

"Not going to lie, but yea."

Nora took that as a good sign as any.

"So…why did you do this?"

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"Well I'm at the school for-"

Nora shook her head.

"No no no, I mean why did you start porting?"

"Gotta say I'm curious about that as well" muttered Weiss "I mean as an Arcane Craftsman you must have had a lot of orders, money shouldn't have been an issue?"

Jaune rubbed his hands. Should he tell them? He wasn't uncomfortable about it…but…

"_Is this what nervousness feels like?"_ thought Jaune.

The source of the distance he felt with the group…was perhaps due to nervousness? Unlike his past dungeon runs, these were people his own age, people that he found himself liking bit by bit. People he wanted to be friends with.

"_I'm…nervous"_ thought Jaune _"….huh." _

"I'm sorry" wilted Nora "I didn't mean to bring it up in a bad way!"

Jaune shook his head.

"No no…I just got lost in thought. My father got sick with the Sleep, so I was portering to try and save up for the cure. I managed one dose but as I learned he needed more due to how long he was under. To answer your question Weiss I wasn't always an Arcane Craftsman. I only ranked up a time ago when I reawakened. That and the villagers of Arcel were not too keen on letting me ply my trade. Well most of em anyways."

Jaune blinked. The group had gone dead silent much to Jaune's chagrin.

"Um…"

Suddenly Jaune heard a sniffle. He turned to Blake, her hood hiding her features.  
"Are you?"

"No" said Blake in monotone "Just something in my nose…how's our father now?"  
Jaune smiled.

"Getting treated by Beacon, so long as I'm a student of Beacon they'll treat my father. It was an offer Ozpin made to get me to come here since I didn't want to at first."

"Oh thank the gods" muttered Yang "Most sleep stories for the NPC's don't have a good ending. Honestly its utter garbage how they change the prices just because of Class."

The amount of anger surprised Jaune. Something personal must have happened to them.

"It's really not a concern."

Yang glared at Jaune and shook her head. She looked at all of them, each of her new guild mates having reacted to Jaune's circumstances.

"I know we can't do anything to help…but I am sorry your dad got sick…and sorry what you must have gone through to reawaken."

Jaune blinked.

"How did you?"

It was Pyrrha who spoke. Her voice solemn.

"Most who reawaken do so through death…my home country Mistral refers to as a Rebirth. Some who reawaken don't get back up. They simply glow and stay dead."

….huh. Jaune could have sworn he felt a cold hand sneak on his back. A reminder of someone who had a hand in his…resurrection it would seem. It occurred to Jaune at that moment that if Salem was indeed the cause for his continued breathing on this earth.

Then fuck that dark goddess deserved a thank you at least.

"It's ok" said Jaune "but I'd rather not talk about it any further if that's alright."

"That's more than alright. My compliments" said Ren "not many share your strength."

"Enough about me" smiled Jaune "What about the rest of you? Do you seek fame and fortune like most heroes who come here?"

Pyrrha shook her head.

"For me it was an escape."

Jaune blinked. Innocent and sweet Pyrrha…needing an escape? The girl smiled at Jaune as she shrugged.

"Things at home for me are not…good to put it mildly. I was able to come to Beacon through some loop holes abandoning everything I ever had back in Mistral."

Before a single person could speak up Pyrrha smiled brilliantly.

"I regret nothing. These last two days just reaffirmed my decision. If…if I may request something of you all?"

Ren smiled.

"You need not ask Pyrrha."

The red head blinked at Ren owlishly.

"I too seek to forge a guild with you all…if you would have me? Me and Nora have circumstances of our own as well that made us seek Beacon. Not as a refuge but simply a new beginning. Yet, what I encountered within this academy was just more of what I was used to, until I met you all. The established guilds and glory hungry heroes of Beacon do not interest me nor Nora but we have found what we are looking for here, with you all. I can't say for sure if will always be this pleasant, but I wish to go forward with all of you, at least during Beacon."

"Not gonna lie" said Yang "I'm surprised you talked so much. But I'm in! So is Ruby."

The small red head chuckled and nodded, her fingers STILL caressing her scythe. Weiss seemed to wilt at this however. Nora frowned but smiled as Blake suddenly popped into existence beside Weiss. Once again she caused another person to near shit their pants in surprise.

"You're from Atlas."

It was a statement. But one that made Weiss close her eyes in shame.  
"Yes."

"…like I said, you're better than most."

Weiss gave a small smile.

"Perhaps. I've also enjoyed this…it was fun. Just hunting, fighting, laughing…so far away from Atlas and its politics. I left simply because I didn't want to fight amongst my fellow mages…nor look at them any longer."

"I heard" said Jaune "that Ironwood is making things far better for Atlas. Especially with his sentinel?"

Weiss nodded.

"Yes, Ironwood's claim to the tower is absolute now but change is slow…and it doesn't change what I've seen the likes of…"

She went quiet.

"Regardless" said Weiss "Ironwood is backed by Arturia Pendragon herself and still hasn't quelled all the….the….the SHIT in Atlas."

She trembled, surprised at the comforting hands of Blake and Ruby.

"Jeez" muttered Nora "and I thought me and Ren had it bad."

Ren grimaced as he nodded with Nora.

"You said…Arturia Pendragon right? Is she…ok?"

Weiss turned to Jaune and nodded.

"Yes…why do you ask?"

Jaune gripped his hands together.

"I heard a rumor…that Uther had bound her in a Geis."

Weiss was shocked.

"How do you…Gies's are relatively…no….what am I even doing" chuckled Weiss "I barely understand what occurred between Arturia and her father, but he has next to no control over her in reality aside from binding her to Atlas. Enough of all this. Ren said it best, this guild is a new beginning for most us, a new start point. As such, I would like to formally request that we all band together to create a guild just for us."

Yang smiled.

"Yeesh, kind of turning it all around but I'll roll with it."

Blake was now sitting beside Nora, her shadowy method of transportation obviously a passive of some kind. Jaune swore he saw a frown on the girl's face from Nora's complete inaction.

"I'll join" said Blake "not like I have anything better to do."

Jaune, much like everyone else, just scoffed at Blake's attitude. Trying to play it cool after all that? Who was she trying to fool? Everyone began to give their assent to the guild becoming a formal one after clearing the dungeon. Before Jaune could say anything, the system came back.

**ALARM!**

**WARNING! Close proximity to killing intent! Destroy the enemy near you. Failure to kill the enemy within the dungeon will result in the Player's heart cease functioning.**

Jaune ignored the system. The whole killing him part was unpleasant, but the truth was he was more interested in the enemy that was near him. The ice was showing small fracture lines. So thin that they never made a noise. The cracks were slow going…Jaune turned to his group…his guild.

"…There is something I'd like to show you all if you don't mind."

All of the turned to him. Yang smiled.

"Oh, another neat trick?"

Jaune smirked. The poor girl nearly balked in surprise at the feral nature of it. His eyes flashed crimson for but a moment as the flames within him surged.

"You can say that. But promise me that you'll trust me?"

Ren's eyes narrowed at him.

"…What is it you intend to do?"

Jaune rose up and began to move towards the barricade.

"You all have shown me your skill and power…let me show you mine."

Blake quickly stood and grabbed him by the shoulder. She seemed ready to tell him to stop, but was surprised at the strength she felt in his shoulders. Unlike the rest of the group, Blake had ample opportunity to interact with the labor caste, the NPC's. There was a difference in strength great enough that even a dexerity focused class such as her own was capable of matching any NPC. Hence her surprise when she noticed his strength was greater than her own. She let go in surprise and blinked at the sight of flames licking at his feet.

"I've been in the back row playing the part of the NPC. I don't blame any of you at all for it, you were all trying to protect me. I appreciate that."

CRACK!

Weiss went to grab her weapon as the others did, but she began to notice fire wrapping itself around Jaune. It didn't touch his clothes, but she could feel a faint sense of heat from her fair distance from him.

"What?"

BOOM!

A large number of spiders crawled out of the great barricade. Much smaller than what they had previously face but far greater in number. Enough that cavern in front of them was nothing but a swarm of small arachnids.

"Time to give this a go" smiled Jaune **"IGNITION!"**

Jaune raised both hands, flames billowing in the spaces between his fingers.

"**BURST!" **

The dully lit tunnel was now bathed in light as Jaune's flames filled the cavern. The spiders closest to him died instantly, burnt beyond recognition. However, the further his fire travelled from him the weaker it grew. Half of the spiders numbers have been reduced by his passive's enhanced flames. The spiders quickly retreated from the flames and Jaune clicked his tonged in annoyance.

"JAUNE LOOK!"

A spider, having flanked ahead of its brethren tried to attack Jaune from the side.

It got a jab to the face for its trouble. Nothing broke, to Jaune's surprise, instead the spider was sent flying into the wall, where the impact killed it instead. Jaune let another wave of fire escape his hand, burning the sleeves off his shirt.

"_So…even with more levels under my belt the difference between E rank and D rank enemies is still noticeable. I broke the bones of the boss gorilla I faced and yet just against the minions of this dungeon I couldn't break the carapace. Still, good to know there are limits to the nature of my passive now rather than later. Means less of a surprise down the road."_

Jaune had lucked out, that much he would admit. Thanks to the simplistic tunnel design Jaune's fire only had one way to go. He couldn't directly control his flames so this had solved the problem of trying to managed its power. Jaune smiled as he closed his eyes and breathed in.

This felt right. To be a part of the dungeon run itself felt right. He wasn't a spectator. He wasn't a porter.

Not any longer.

"So" said Jaune "Who decided an NPC couldn't fight?"

Jaune gave a shit eating grin at the stupified expression of everyone involved.

"….Ok first off, what? Second, THE FUCK!" yelled Yang "No seriously what the fuck! Why didn't you tell us this earlier!?"

Jaune faltered a bit.

"Well…I mean."

"NO!" cried Yang histarically "We could have burned through this entire dungeon straight to the boss room in minutes! Instead we had to drag through multiple battles for the last hour! THIS" yelled Yang "IS. AWESOME!...got any other gimmicks?"

Jaune blinked.

"So fire huh? Guess we have a counter for Weiss to help balance out the future raids" muttered Ren.

"So what skill was that?" asked Nora "seems waaay to powerful for basic stuff."

"Its my passive."

"…ok seriously?" muttered Nora "everyone else gets cool passives but me. You know what my passive is? I get stronger from lightning! LIGHTNING! When's the last time you heard of a lightning bolt randomly striking you in the middle of battle to empower you!"

Jaune couldn't help it. Truly he couldn't.

"I could enchant lighting into your weap-GURK~"

Nora grabbed the poor man and grinned.

"You are my new best friend! REN! You've been replaced!"

Ren smiled and shook his head as he patted the Berserker on the head.

"Enough Nora. I'm impressed. It was to my knowledge that most NPC's had no combat skills."

Jaune nodded.

"That's not wrong. I mean, a lot of us don't like being referred to as the need protection caste but it doesn't change the fact that we're not suited to combat like you heroes are. No my passive evolved as I reawakened and allows me to do this. I learned Ignition Burst later."

"Must have just got the skill if you have to say it aloud" muttered Blake "Still it's a powerful ability. Do you still have mana?"

Before Jaune could answer Ruby interupted.

"Is…is that way my scythe burst into flames?"

Jaune blinked as Ruby's smiling face walked closer.

"Uh…somewhat. The metal reacts to friction and ignites on its own. The runes I put in enhance the fire and the chances of burning to occur. The flames you saw did go into the creating of it though."

Ruby just hugged the blade closer.

"I absolutely love this" she said "really. It means the world to me how much effort you put in this…I promise I won't let you down."

"Ok but seriously how much mana do you have left?" asked Blake "We're about to face the boss."

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"You make it seem like we're facing it right now."

"That's because its coming this way screaming."

Jaune didn't hear a thing, not to mention anyone else. But after a moment a dull schreeching echoed through the tunnels.

"….I didn't do it" muttered Yang.

"I think I did it" said Jaune "I don't' really have any control over what my fire does after I direct it…I guess it hit it?"

"Shock and awe later" muttered Pyrrha "For now we get ready. Ruby"

The girl twisted around to face Pyrrha.

"I appreciate what you've done at the front lines, but join Blake in flanking the boss. I don't mean to judge you, but I doubt you have any tanking skills do you?"

Ruby shook her head, a frown marring her features.

"Well…no."

"Than attack from the sides with Blake, follow her lead…I have a suspicion you're class functions like Blake's. If I'm wrong I apologize but for now I think its best for me and Nora to take to the front."

Nora nodded. It was obvious that Pyrrha was in full warrior mode, her eyes concentrated on nothing but achieving victory.

"Yang, follow Ruby. We need a heavy hitter on the side and I worry that Ruby might falter again."

Ruby pouted but nodded.

"I'm sorry…I should have prepared more."

Pyrrha shook her head.

"Nonsense. You just started discovering your class now and we'll all help you discover even more. For now it's better to play it safe than sorry."

Pyrrha turned to Ren.

"I heard that Samurai classes have two skill trees. One for close and the other for long range combat."  
Ren nodded. The air shimmered beside him as a bow and quiver appeared in his hands.

"I do. I admit my archery skills are lacking compared to my blade."

Pyrrha smiled.

"Not a worry, you'll be perfect for the middle. Jaune, Weiss."

The two stepped forward, caught in the momentum of Pyrrha's sudden charge into leadership.

"What kind of spells do you have?"

"I only have the one" said Jaune.

Pyrrha nodded.

"I have multiple attack spells and spells for restraining the boss. I can also caste slow as well."

Pyrrha smiled.

"Excellent. In that case Jaune join me and Nora at the front, Weiss stay as far away as you can while still being in range to cast slow on the boss. Afterword's I'll trust your judgement."

Pyrrha turned to Jaune and grinned.

"I felt your strength days ago. Now you're stronger. Do you have a weapon on you by any chance?"

Jaune nodded.

"I do. I've never used it before."

"Do you have experience fighting?"

The images of the punishment zone echoed in Jaune's memory.

"I do."

Pyrrha sighed in relief.

"I'd rather you stay in the back, but I'd rather you stay in the front and hit the boss with your flames at their best."

Jaune stilled…Pyrrha had already noticed the restriction of his fire? Damn, her instincts were like her memory. Perfect. The ground rumbled slightly as Jaune felt the tremors of the boss moving. Fire burned in his right hand as Jaune accessed the Systems inventory for a weapon he never thought he would use.

Kraine's Broad Steel Sword (C Rank).

The weapon, much like Ren's did, appeared from a ripple in space. Jaune only needed to think of it to draw it from the inventory, sadly he had yet to figure out the trick of adding an item to inventory without opening the system interface.

"Oooh" cooed Nora "an inventory. How much does yours hold? Ren can only stuff his four weapons in there."

Infinite. The answer had come immediately to Jaune. But he only shrugged in response. At least he didn't have to hide his inventory space like he had to hide the system.

He'd rather not be sent to an insane asylum.

"INCOMING" yelled Blake. Yang had trouble keeping up with Ruby's and Blake's speed but the blonde bombshell managed through alright.

From the darkness of the tunnel came a massive spiderlike being. Its lower body was like that of a spider, but where the head should have been was instead the upper body of a woman. A woman with six eyes and a demented mouth of rowed saw like teeth. She was large, but only filled half the large tunnel. Her spider like body could easily fill a large room and her woman proportions were far larger than any human. Her fingers were instead just sharp flesh colored claws. Her over sized proportions made her several feet taller than everyone else, making a direct head shot difficult for most of them.

**INSPECT:**

**ARACHNE (RANK D)**

**An Arachne, a meshing of a woman and spider. This impossible nightmare is the result of magic gone awry or a woman put under an unfortunate curse. What it lacks in physical appearance it more than makes up for with brute strength and unique abilities. **

It was a valiant effort…but Jaune simple couldn't hold in the gag when he saw the thing. Saggy boobs that were covered in wrinkles, claws that were now starting to glow a barf green, and a bunch of little eyes that looked like they were screwed to her face.

It was just too much for the polite young man to hold.

….he really hates spiders.

"Oh…this is going to die" muttered Jaune "I don't care how, just kill it. Please."

Pyrrha looked at Jaune with concern.

"Will you be alright?"

"NO TIME FOR CONCERN! MOVE!" yelled Blake.

Immediately Jaune jumped to the left, landing in a hazardous roll. It took him a moment to get up, but thankfully Nora had his back. The Arachne had charged forward sluggishly and tried to stab Jaune with on of her many legs. The black carapace sharp enough to skewer a man was not strong enough to pierce the metal of Nora's Axe. Nora grunted as she took the brunt of the impact on her arm.

"Gotcha!" yelled Nora "Now roast this thing!"

Jaune flanked around Nora and with his left hand sent out a torrent of fire.

"**IGNITION BURST!" **

The self buff spell increased the potency of his fire, but to Jaune's surprise the flames only ate away and harmed the D ranked boss. It hurt, there was no doubt about it. Parts of her body caught fire as well, but what bits of the flame ignited were quickly snuffed out, leaving only superficial burns.

It did cause the spider to rear back however, not unlike a horse.

"STOP!" yelled Pyrrha.

"I'm already on it!" said Jaune "Just tell me when you want another burst."

"If you see an opening take it!"

"_I can work with that"_ thought Jaune.

The Arachne screeched as it landed back on its feet, to Jaune's surprise he saw what remained of Blake's throwing knives embedded in the spider's human back. A black blur tackled the knives, disappering as the Arachne tried to swing around and hit her.

"_She herself may not hit hard"_ thought Jaune _"but her weapons are a different story. They weren't B rank or anything of the sort…which means this is all skill at work."_

Every time the Arachne tried to gain ground Nora and Pyrrha pushed at it, slashing with their weapons. Jaune too was a part of the process, but he lacked their skill with their weapons, so he struck less often than he'd like.

"_Note to self"_ thought Jaune _"learn to use a sword properly"._

Thankfully it wouldn't be a difficult endeavor. After all, he had a guild full of heroes to teach him. The Arachne's mouth opened up, spewing green fluid. Nora yelped as she dodged out of the way, leaving said fluid to bubble on the ground.

"Of course she spits acid" muttered Weiss "everyone, steer clear! Ren if you'd please!"

The Samurai used his bow to rapidly hammer arrows into the Arachne's human like chest. It raised its arms in a feeble defense before using its powerful legs as a stronger support. The legs were long enough to cover her body in a makeshift shield.

It was a pause.

A pause Weiss exploited. With a breath and her eyes glowing azure, Weiss thrust her rapier at the enemy. Beneath the Arachne a circle of various white symbols sprung to life, before a giant ice formation jutted from it. The spell was too weak to pierce the Arachne's lower body, but it did restrict it even further.

Weiss's brow sweated as she fired off a second spell. The entire Arachne's body flashed white, before its movements noticeably slowed. Ruby roared as her scythe burst to life once more. She was a blur of motion as she spun through the air, full of confidence in her movements unlike before. The results made Jaune smile.

Ruby's scythe decimated the upper torso of the Arachne, leaving a gaping wound weeping a sea of green. The Arachne thrashed wildly as it tried to strike Ruby, ignoring the yellow missile that was Yang. It was beautiful in execution, a flying hey maker right into the disgusting spider's head (Yeesh Jaune's rubbing of on me now).

The blow echoed through the tunnel, Yang's eyes glowing as well.

"You have a disorient skill!" yelled Pyrrha.

"It doesn't always work!" complained Yang "rather you didn't try to rely on it."

Nora grinned as she watched the wobbly Arachne. However her grinned disappeared as everyone witnessed the thing's wounds slowly mend.

"Oh no, not letting that happen! Pyrrha I'm going for the head!"

"In that case I'll take the heart!"

Ren smirked as he fired his own arrows, using what was left to dig further into the gaping wound. The Arachne screeched weakly once more as it tried to shake off its swimming vision. Nora was already running up, while Pyrrha's own space rippled, revealing a beautiful red and gold Javelin. The amount of magic that thrummed from it made it obvious that it was B rank at the very least.

Before Jaune could inspect it, Pyrrha picked it up and threw it, hitting the Arachne right in the middle of the spider body, punching through the carapace for a lethal blow. As the mighty weapon struck home, Nora had already chucked her axe. Ren groaned as he covered his eyes, even as Nora cheered at the spinning axe decapitating the Arachne.

"OH YEA!" yelled Yang.

**ALARM!**

**You have gained one level! **

**You have leveled up Ignition Burst! Verbal activation no longer required. **

Jaune was not done yet however. He didn't care of the system said it was dead.

"Woah" said Nora "What you doin?

Nora moved out of Jaune's way as his hands burst into fire for once last hate filled attack. The cool down on his Ignition burst hadn't worn off yet so he just went full throttle and torched the remains of the Arachne until he had nothing left but a black charred corpse and zero mana.

"Uh….was that necessary?" asked Ruby.

"It was for me" whispered Jaune "Oh thank the gods we can finally get out of here. Hate these things."

"We kind of notice" Said Ren dryly.

The black charred corpse disappeared, leaving behind a drop. However, before Jaune could pick it up, Weiss interrupted him.

"Can't take that" said Weiss "It's considered part of Beacon's tuition fee. Any dungeon you clear for initiation has their drops given to the Academy."

"….Well that sucks" muttered Jaune.

"Yea….BUT WE'RE IN!" yelled Nora "I say that's worth more than any…whatever that is".

Jaune shrugged.

"Guess I can see it that way" said Jaune "So…back to the registration office?"

Weiss smiled.

"Yes. We can think of a name for the guild later, but at the moment I think its best to register now."

Ren grumbled as he store away his bow and quiver.

"Rather not be accosted by the Mercenary guild again. Or any guild for that matter."

"They'd just stop?" asked Jaune.

Ren nodded as Nora continued his point.

"Yea. Once your registered your name is taken off the available recruitment lists. They can still throw offers our way but they can't be so pushy anymore. At least in theory" she chuckled.

Ruby whimpered as she came back to the group, covered in green blood. Her cloak protected her poor for the most part, but it was obvious that it was in her hair and skin. She had given her scythe to Blake to hold, who was surprised at the inactive state it now possessed. It looked like garbage one again. The class restriction on it wasn't a one time thing.

"Yaaang…nobody told me this could happen!"

"And that dear sister is why you pack extra clothes…damnit. Could you guys go on ahead of us? Gotta get Ruby a change of clothes…and a shower."

The poor girl whimpered at the smell she currently reeked of.

Jaune smiled, thanking the gods it wasn't him this time! The memory of getting drenched in a large spider boss's blood still gave him nightmares.

"It's not a concern, I doubt all of us have to be there to register. I can take Ruby's scythe for you, I got room in the inventory."

When the Scythe entered Jaune's hand it reignited. But to Ruby's keen eye she noticed it seemed…happier. The wood was brighter in color, the flames more active. Hell the runes that glowed were even brighter. She puffed her cheeks as she stared at the scythe. She swore she'd make the damn thing love her like that if it was the last thing she did!

The scythe disappeared into Jaune's inventory. He held out his hand to Blake.

"I'll take the knives as well, get them repaired for you. If they need any metal though you'll have to supply me some."

Blake smiled.

"Thank you."

Even now Jaune found it odd her hood never came off, but who was he to judge. She handed him three knives, each of which were badly distorted. Jaune smiled at Nora.  
"The Axe alright?"

"Duh" she chuckled "now lets get out of here and get registered, I could use a nap!"

"Guess we'll go out drinking tomorrow" chuckled Yang.

"We have class tomorrow" muttered Weiss "I'd rather not get drunk on the first day."

Yang rolled her eyes but wrapped her arms around Weiss's shoulders.

"Oh come on, live a little! Not like we have to get drunk! We can just go out and enjoy our first meal as a guild!"

Jaune actually laughed out loud.

"Now that sounds like a quest I can get behind."

He smiled cheekily at Pyrrha as the poor girl blushed. She gave a brilliant smile, the same one that made his heart skip a beat.

"Alright alright" muttered Weiss "it would be an interesting experience. You could show me what accounts for Valish cuisine here."

Yang gave a Cheshire grin at the thought.

The entire walk through the dungeon was like that, filled with laughter and jokes. Jaune knew that having a party was helpful in the dungeon, but that boss was eviscerated so easily…

It really drove home why the guild system existed in the first place. Waving goodbye to both ruby and Yang, Jaune had the others went off to register. Blake broke off midway, saying she had to make arrangements…whatever they were.

But at least Ren, Nora, Pyrrha and Weiss were more than happy to tag along. The entire walk there was filled with nothing more than simple discussions. Nothing heavy like the dungeon had been, just simple talk about the day and their expectations.

Jaune found himself quickly getting used to the idea of friends. It wasn't to say he never had friends, but rather that the issues regarding his father and mother made friends rather scarce for the young man. It seemed to end too quickly as the group arrived at the register's office.

"Well well well" muttered the familiar judge "I'm surprised you all wish to remain a guild."

Weiss smiled.

"None more so than us. We worked unexpectedly well together and had a great rapport."

Sharron smiled.

"It's nice to see. If you have any questions or concerns about guilds and expectations, please come by any time. We're always open from 11-11 everyday."

Nora grinned.

"So where do we sign?"

Sharron chuckled as she produced a paper that was already filled out.

"Your names are already listed as a guild. Your registration for the initiation will be used until you officially procure your own guild house. Once you have a house there's a lot more paper work involved."

The older woman giggled as if laughing at some inside joke. A poor headmaster cried out in terror at his return trip to his office. The paperwork he thought completed was now back and ready for more. It just never ended.

"Do we have to get a guild house?" asked Jaune "Seems a bit much for students?"

Sharron smiled.

"Don't worry. Beacon helps first time guilds in building their guild house. There's a lot of offers and options out there for new guilds starting out. Besides, you all have to move from dorms at the end of the year, no exceptions."

"Whys that?" asked Ren.

Sharron smiled as she lifted the same paper, she showed them.

"To make room for the next initiates of course. The truth is that guilds are a massive part of hero life. While Beacon can be very accommodating, they also want you all to acclimate to living in a guild house, since that's probably where you would all spend your early careers. Now scurry off, I got a line up to get to."

The smile on Sharron's face was infectious as Nora's beaming expression indicated. As they stepped out the Berserker took a deep breath of air.

"Ahhhh" she muttered "smells like victory! Right Pyrrha!..."

The Spartan seemed to be smiling into space as she held the copy of their temporary guild papers, temporary till they get a guild house anyway. Nora suddenly peered over Pyrrha's shoulder.

"Hey, earth to Pyrrha! I know its awesome but come on!"

Pyrrha chuckled as she finally collected herself.

"Sorry…I just never expected things to go this smoothly. I'm excited to see what's ahead of us."

Nora giggled.

"Same! Me and Ren are just dying to relax and just float through life doing as we want! Definitely a change of pace from home!"  
it was the first real mention of home that Nora mentioned. From what he could tell, bubbly attitude or not, it sounded like it sucked.

"Jeez were all just Wayward souls aren't we?" chuckled Jaune.

"OOOOH I LIKE THAT!" announced Nora "Let's keep it!"

"I don't think the Wayward Guild sounds any good Nora."

"Oh shush you party pooper no one needs you right now."

Ren actually barked in laughter as he shook his head.

"Things are never boring with you Nora."

"Damn straight!"

Ren looked to the sky and smiled. The evening sun was turning amber as it fell below the horizon.

"Its getting late…I have to say it was fun. I'll see you all tomorrow. Weiss would you like to come with us?"

Weiss smiled. She still seemed awkward, but the events of the dungeon seem to drill it in that she didn't need to be on her tippy toes around everyone.

"I'd like that yes. I'll see you two tomorrow."

With a courtesy Weiss waved them goodbye. Jaune chuckled as he and Pyrrha made their way to the tower, which lied further from the dorms. Pyrrha was still carefully folding their guild papers, before putting it into her inventory.

"You know that's only temporary" chuckled Jaune "We'll be getting a new one when we buy a guild house."

"Perhaps" said Pyrrha "But this is the paper that started it all. It carries a lot of value for me."

Jaune could have asked Pyrrha what she meant by that. He could probably even get a full story…but instead he chose something else.

"I had fun today."

Pyrrha blinked but smiled back at him.

"I did as well. You're as strong as I thought you were."

"Rich coming from the girl with a B rank Javelin."

Pyrrha's smile broke a tad. She chuckled dryly.

"I prefer not to use it…it reminds me too much of home."

"Than why have it at all?"

"It was my brother's."

Jaune heard the WAS in that sentence.

"I see…well if you ever need maintenance on it, you know who to get."

Pyrrha just shook her head and smiled.

"Thank you Jaune…for being my friend."

Jaune smirked.

"You still got quite a bit of work to do. Don't think that quest of yours is that easy."

Jaune felt his heart hammer again as Pyrrha smiled brilliantly.

"Good."

It was a simple statement, but it was so unlike the shy girl he had met at first. Instead he was beginning to see the confident woman underneath her awkward exterior. It was breathtaking.

"Jaune…"

"Yes?"

"Would…no. I'll ask another day."

Jaune blinked as he watched Pyrrha awkwardly wring her hands.

"I'm not going to bite Pyrrha."

The girl smiled as she opened her mouth. She closed it, only to open it again as she finally let her question out.

"Are you…somehow related to Arturia Pendragon?"

"…."

"I'm sorry I don't mean to pry, it's just you seemed to know she was bound in something…which I have to say is hard to believe. Many consider her the strongest in the world right now."

Jaune gave a dry chuckle.

"…..This probably answers your question but can I tell you another day? It's not something I like talking about."

"….I see….I'm sorry she left you-"

Pyrrha jumped at the sudden surge of power that wrapped around Jaune. The heat that eminated from his skin was palpable even to her.

"…..She didn't leave by her own choice" growled Jaune.

With a breath Jaune sighed.

"I'm sorry…like I said I don't like talking about it…and its honestly complicated. A story for another time?"

Pyrrha seemed to wilt under his apologetic gaze.

"I'm so sorry I shouldn't have let my curiosity!"

Jaune shook his head.

"Jeez" he chuckled weakly "between you and Weiss you guys have apologized enough. Friends step on each other's toes sometimes, it happens…how about this. When I tell you about how me and Arturia are connected…you tell me about that spear of yours?"

Pyrrha smiled.

"I'd like that…it seems we're here."

"I guess its time to call it a night."

The two gave an awkward handshake as they went into the tower. Pyrrha went to the left wing for women, while Jaune went to the right for men.

"A handshake? Really?" muttered Jaune.

Pyrrha just buried her face into her hands as she walked up the stairs.

**-Two hours Later, Jaune's Bedroom (Temporary)-**

Jaune sighed as he rolled his shoulders. He had spent the last little bit fiddling with his stats and trying to understand what the hell this Grand Quest he had been given was. So far the most he got was a "Hint will arrive soon" pop up.

Like that was any help.

Not to mention he got yet another new title. The "No Kill Like Overkill" title was just a goofy title for basically kicking an opponent while they were down. The perk it had was simple "Deal additional damage to defeated enemies".

"If they're defeated, they won't take damage" muttered Jaune "what's the point in this thing."

If Jaune wasn't aiming to kill that defeating his opponent was the end of it. So either way this title was useless to him….still sounded cool though. As he flew into his bed and under the covers Jaune smiled at the lack of interface from the system. If all was as told to him than the system seemed to have toned down a bit. It was still sarcastic…and an asshole, but for the most part its erratic change in character was at least dealt with. Combine that with the fact Jaune now had friends, a guild, and completely roasted a horde of spiders and their momma…

Today was a good day. Speaking of days.

"That reminds me" muttered Jaune "have to remember….to thank…..her…some…how."

Darkness filled Jaune's vision as sleep took him.

"**Well hello little Entertainer." **

Jaune's eyes snapped open as he beheld the presence of Salem once again.

"GAH!" he screamed.

He jumped back as his brain was surrounded by Salem's power once again.

"What…I thought!"

Salem rose an eyebrow, her beauty as enthralling and inhuman as Jaune remembered.

"**You thought what?" **she purred.

Jaune's back tingled.

"I….i thought you only appeared to people once" said Jaune.

"**Oh? And who told you that? A Warlock that has never reawakened before?" **

Salem chuckled as walked around the darkness surrounding them. Her domain as beautiful and full as a clear night sky.

"**Ahhh….alas the Warlock is not totally incorrect. I don't normally bother with those whose souls have walked my domain. I watch for a time…but they simply retire or aim for greater glories and forbidden knowledge. A simple blip of amusement. But nothing more. They bemoan their existence and blame me for their troubles. It gets repetitive I must admit." **

Once more Salem invaded his personal space, her breath as cold as an artic breeze as she looked into Jaune's eyes.

"**Oh but you? It's just been a blink for me and you've already been transported to another dimension and created a weapon beyond the ken of men! You have more than lived up to my expectations…dare I say….surpassed them. Well done little mortal, not many can achieve such praise. Do realize this means I expect even greater entertainment?"**

Jaune swallowed.

"I see. So you were watching…in that case I just have one thing to say to you."

Salem lifted a finger as she smiled.

"**You only get one." **

"….what?"

"**You only get one wish"** she muttered **"So play it well Jaune Arc…or do you prefer your Atlesian name, Artorias Pendragon?"**

Jaune stared at her, wondering first off how she knew that name, but then decided to shrug it off. He locked eyes with the goddess as she seemed intent on granting whatever he desired. Salem seemed to smile in her twisted sexy way. Her expression was dull but the spark of excitement still danced in her eye. What kind of wish would he-

"Thank you."

Salem blinked.

"…**." **

Jaune smiled.

"Thank you. You gave me a second chance to do things right. Ozpin told me you were a trickster, a liar…yet you've done nothing but give me truths. Perhaps this is all an elaborate prank on your end…but even so, thank you."

Salem titled her head. There was no surprise in her expression. But there was in her voice.

"**You deny a wish a second time?" **

"Yes."

"…**.I could free your mother. Destroy Uther Pendragon's very soul…" **

"Perhaps" said Jaune "but it's not right."

"**So, it is honor and pride that stays your hand"** chuckled Salem **"how quaint." **

"I couldn't care less about Uther, I just refuse to use you. What little Ozpin told me about you all boiled down to one thing. That you tricked everyone who made a wish off you, perverting their desires and twisting the wishes in the worst possible way. Perhaps to others that makes you a devil. I certainly thought so."

Salem rose tilted her head again, a bit to the left instead of the right.

"But then I thought about it. I certainly wouldn't be happy if a bunch of people starting using me to grant their wishes and then complained about it. You're…well you're not human but your alive. You think and act just like any other person. So, I refuse to use you in any way. I need wishes to make my dreams and hopes a reality? Who decided that?" chuckled Jaune "So I'll give you the same answer I gave you before. I don't need your wishes Salem. I'll live my life with but my two hands…however far they take me."

"…**You are a stubborn creature Jaune Arc." **

Jaune smiled.  
"So, I've been told."

Jaune shivered as Salem's nose touched his own. There was zero affection in the gesture. She grasped his face in her hands and leaned back, looking into his eyes as if checking for something. Jaune willed his lower body not to react to her chilling touch, praying to god she wasn't paying attention to his thoughts that the moment.

"**Perhaps you are broken in some way…but very well…I will allow you to reject me for a second time…but in return I expect even better entertainment. You've gotten my hopes up…do not disappoint them." **

Jaune gave an awkward smile, not really enjoying the fact he had just a being like Salem watching him.

"I'll uh…try not to."

Salem watched as the young man's eyes closed, his body becoming obscured by the darkness of her domain. It was true that Salem found a wicked amusement from twisted the wishes of anyone who dared bind and summon her, but the reawoken like Jaune and the others? Well that was just purely for entertainment. There was no reason to thank her when her actions were selfish by nature.

"**Still…" **

Salem gave a sultry chuckle as her voice echoed in the darkness. Her eyes studying the stars, seeing things beyond human comprehension with every second of her life.

"**I wonder what else you'll do"** she chuckled.

"_**Well would you look at that"**_ thought Salem _**"First time I've laughed in quite some time. But my little Entertainer doesn't need to know that accomplishment"**_

Salem's eyes closed as she gave a tiny smile.

"**Till next time Jaune Arc…perhaps I should call you Artorias next time."**

As the Dark Goddess laughed into the abyss Jaune Arc's spine tingled in his sleep. His story had barely just begun and yet he had already made human history. What else would Jaune discover? Do? See?

"**I hope you're all as entertained as me"** chuckled Salem.

**END. **

**Jaune (Artorias) LV 20 – LV 21**

**STR: 55-65 (A)**

**CON: 55-65 (A)**

**DEX: 50-55-58 (C) (Daily Training Stats Included)**

**AGI: 50-55-57 (C) (Daily training Stats Included) **

**INT: 83-93 (A)**

**WIS: 72-82 (A)**

**CHA: 56-63 (B)**

**RES: 124-139 (EX)**

**Health: 1345 Aura: 850 = 2195**

**Mana: 2000**

**SKILLS: **

**Ignition Burst (LV 2)**

**Ignition Burst is a Pyromancer Class skill. A buff skill that increases the potency of all fire magic by 20%. The buff lasts for 3 min. **

**MP Cost: 140 MP per use. **

**Thirteen Minute Cool down**

**Activation time: instantaneous. Verbal Incantation no longer necessary. **

**Jaune's Altesian Name Artorias does not display above his head because of factors that will be discussed in the future. Nipping that in the bud before reviews pop up. Have some faith my guys but still point out anything you believe is worth noting in the reviews or PM'S! The next installment is Ultimate Weapon! Also Yes Fate is included in this but its not really a crossover due to the fact that…well I'll just keep that to myself now won't I? Can't keep spilling all my secrets XD. **

**ALARM!**

**You just wanna talk about **


	5. Chapter 5

**ARCANCE CRAFTSMAN V.2 Patch notes: **

**Hey guys and welcome to the fifth chapter of Arcane Craftsman! At the time of this chapter's posting, all grammar mistakes pointed out by the diligent reviewers (you guys know who you are!) will have been implemented through chapter 1-3! Chapter four has been fixed slightly but the grammar fixes will come with chapter 6! Second….I have a confession to make. **

…**.It has come to my attention…that somehow…someway….**

**I failed to do basic math. **

**No seriously. I don't know how, but I failed to do basic math for Jaune's stats! I had it all planned out, had a system ready…and I just fucked it up XD I'm still sitting here wondering exactly how I managed to do such a thing XD. **

**Regardless, Stats have been given their first overhaul! (I'd like to think this system will not NEED a second one…but considering my screw up I highly doubt it XD, hence the little V.2 blurb at the top). Second, while at first my reasoning for Jaune's lack of Reawakening stat enhancements was due to them all going to health and Mana (Which is true) I decided to reflect the mana bit more accurately in chapter one by having a small stat boost occur. For those of you interested in going back to said chapter, you'll notice that besides the new numbers that better fit the system, INT and WIS have a REAWAKENING BOOST beside them that is visible now in chapter one. This signifies why the numbers jump so drastically, even if level 15-17 still used his old class growth. Also, chapter one reveals his old stat growth parameters and how I've adjusted them to better reflect Jaune as a whole. I felt he was…well a little lackluster in the Stat growth department. Jeez, I really kind of made him MEH in terms of stat growth for a prestige class, so I fixed it up as well. Jaune's new stats are as follows. **

**STR: A**

**CON: A**

**AGI: C**

**DEX: C**

**WIS: A**

**INT: A**

**CHA: B**

**RES: EX**

**The revised stats will be at the bottom of this chapter and will have been implemented (along with some brief information) in the older chapters. Note that Resilience for Jaune is much greater. It is at EX rank. This is not OP bullshit rank, but rather a rank that doesn't level up with a set number, that is all. For instance in one level Jaune could gain 20, another 2. Since I'm taking quite a few FATE elements, the EX rank will be attributed to anything that is either not scalable or just a one of a kind item. The EX rank IS NOT a symbol of power, but rather uniqueness or unpredictability. The EX rank is shared amongst ALL labor caste members and is a stat that grows depending on the individuals parameters (describe in this very chapter!). As such some Labor classes will have HUGE gains with Resilience while others have low gains. For most it's all over the place. It truly depends on the individual. Hence, why the labor caste has it at EX rank rather than S. The growth is entirely unpredictable and as such cannot be scaled. I didn't implement this before since I thought it was an unnecessary confusion, but considering you're all smarter than me at this point I decided to go with it XD**

**Also, this chapter is dedicated to those who have been wondering why the fuck I've been using Dexterity and Agility as separate concepts for stats! This chapter explains it. If its not your liking feel free to offer your case as to why I should change it! I still reserve the right to say fuck you though XD (I'm joking don't flame me)**

**Now, for what you all have been waiting for! The next chapter and first NAMED chapter. **

**Be warned the chapter name is not serious and is a total nerd reference XD. Almost all chapters I've had before have always had a name that correlated with the story or events taking place. This chapter name is no different but I think I'll be having fun with the chapter names from this point on, if I even use them!**

**As always a shout out to Weary for their support in fixing my grammar mistakes! I hope this chapter alleviates your confusion on the Dexterity and Agility issue. **

**Arcane Craftsman Chapter 5: This looks like a Job for the Winchesters **

"_**I'll slit his throat Arturia. Sign or he dies." **_

"_**You're not strong enough to bind me forever Uther, know that your life is limited." **_

"_**I brand you boy and remove your name!"**_

"_**ARTORIAS!"**_

PINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPING.

"Ah!"

Jaune woke up to the constant pinging of the system once again, as a familiar blue box shone directly into his vision at the crack of dawn. However, rather than be annoyed, he only felt relief.

"Damn" muttered Jaune "haven't had a dream like that in…years."

Jaune rubbed his eyes and looked outside. Dawn had yet to arrive and Jaune was far too awake now to simply return to sleep. Jaune closed his eyes as he rolled his shoulders and got out of bed. The dream…the image of Uther holding a knife to his throat. His mother signing…being branded by that odd stone…

He had stopped vividly remembering those events in his dream's years ago …when he had given up on trying to save his mother. The System had reinvigorated his desire to free her. He had all the confidence in his mother. Truly he did. But Jaune was not interested in waiting any longer.

"_She shouldn't have to suffer for my weakness." _

Jaune clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"None of that" chuckled Jaune "remember what they always said, move forward not back."

Jaune smiled as he walked to his window, enjoying the beautiful night sky, tinged in the glowing of dawn's eventual arrival. His mother would kill him if he simply lamented and brooded all day. He had a life to live and damnit he was going to live it to the fullest!

Just so happens his goal was to free his mother. But at the moment he lacked the resources to get to Atlas in the first place not to mention that he had no idea HOW to even break the Gies that binds her.

"I got a long way to go" muttered Jaune "but I'll get there…I won't give up again Mom, I promise."

Jaune closed his eyes and shook his head, moving away from the window.

"Jeez, look at me" he smiled "talking to thin air."

He clenched his fists. He had given up before…and much like his promise to not give in to fear…he would not give in ever again.

**ALARM!**

**Daily Quest: **

**Pushups (0/50)**

**Sit ups (0/50)**

**Crunches (0/50)**

**Squats (0/50)**

**Light Jog!**

**Reward Drops: Stat points (3) and ?**

**Time Limit: 6 Hours**

**Failure: PUNISHMENT ZONE CLEARED. **

"You really do not read a mood do you?" asked Jaune "Well regardless it's about time I remedied my lack of knowledge. So system, are there any more punishment zones?"

**ALARM!**

**Yes. **

"_Seems this thing has taken my words to heart. Good. It was getting creepy anyway."_

"System, when will the next level of daily training commence?"

**ALARM!**

**Currently the Player has cleared the punishment zone! This is the last daily quest before ascending to the next tier, as such upon completing 4/5 objectives a unique reward is bestowed while clearing all objectives gives a chance of permanently increasing daily rewards! There are no negative punishments for this quest.**

Jaune had noticed that direct and quick questions were the way to go. He had many more but considering he had all day Jaune decided to focus on the daily training. He made the mistake of not completing it all.

Never again.

And so Jaune worked out. It barely felt like a workout and he never sweated once. In fact, he had blazed through the workout so completely that he actually broke the max limits on them. Something Jaune wasn't even aware was possible.

**ALARM!**

**Daily Training **

**Push Ups (64/50)**

**Crunches (56/50)**

**Squats (65/50)**

**Light Jog!**

**ALARM!  
4/5 objectives completed. The Player has earned a unique reward!**

**Passive: Muscularity (Lv 1/3)**

Jaune blinked.

"….What?"

**ALARM!**

**Passive Muscularity: **

**A representation of the Player's physical might and will to grow stronger! After clearing the weakest punishment zone and completing portions of the daily training, the player has earned this passive. Muscularity represents the player's overall physique and muscular potential. However, this passive also prevents atrophy from accumulating. The player will always be at the peak of their strength even if they take time away from combat! This passive level can only be levelled up by harsh physical training or reaching certain points in the strength and constitution stat. Also enhances muscle development!**

"….Huh. Well that's handy."

Jaune doubted atrophy was a huge deal amongst hunters. But the thought he didn't have to worry about it at all was nice. Jaune patted his lean stomach and smiled. He was not a prideful person. But the thought that he was getting fitter, stronger, and more prepared for the trials the dungeons were going to throw at him?  
That would always bring a smile to his face.

Jaune stared at his right hand and clenched it into a fist. Yet another reminder that he was now living the impossible.  
"Now is not the time to think about that" he muttered "you have a class to get to…."

Jaune's eyes drifted to the window…the window with a sun shining brightly in the sky. A sun well passed dawn.

"…oh no."

Jaune quickly ran out of the shower (something he would definitely be getting for himself one day) and through the use of inventory, equipped a white shirt with an odd pair of pants called jeans he found in his temporary room. It was tough and durable, not to mention comfortable. Compared to his previous ensemble of a white tunic and crappy pants thanks to his…financial situation, it was a far cry from before.

Jaune ignored breakfast as he booked it out of the tour. He ran down the stairs, through the hallway, and booked it as fast as his legs could carry him. Jaune felt elation admist his nervousness.

He was so fast!

"_I noticed it during the punishment zone with those gorillas, but I'm so light!" _

It was worlds away from before the trick dungeon. It was exhilarating to the boy and something he needed after the heavy thoughts that pervaded his morning. The calm forests, the serene air.

"…_To think just a few days ago I wanted nothing to do with this academy_" he thought _"now I'm actually excited for class!"_

Jaune quickly reached the foot of Beacon's doorway. The modern bricking and massive structure really gave Jaune the feeling of an ethereal castle…if it was the shape of a cylinder.

It was the epitome of function over design.

The sea of people that were piling into the building was staggering, reminding Jaune just how many heroes entered Beacon's halls each year. However, as he neared the door he could have sworn he heard something. He tilted his head, noticing a few birds flying away from the forests of Beacon. It was at least a few dozen feet away.

"hmmm…"

He turned to still go back to class, only for the barest hint of a squeak to enter his hears. Jaune rose an eyebrow and decided to investigate. It wasn't long before he began to hear muttering.

"Who has a conversation in the wo-"

He never finished his sentence as his worry took over. Before he could consider pushing through some of the shrubbery, a woman followed by three men just burst out. Her scowl was obvious as she rolled her eyes.

Above her head was her name and class.

**Velvet, The Architect. **

The three men were laughing. But there was no jeer in their tone. They were not making fun of her…

Actually they were actively hitting on her.

Horribly.

"Come on baby lets have a good time!" said one.

"_That was so cringe it hurt"_ thought Jaune _"I mean it physically hurt." _

Idiot number one, as Jaune decided to call him, was a warrior with the name Sky. The other two were of the same class. One was named Russell, who had a mohawk of all things. The other was a man named Dove. The three were seemingly unaware of the woman's uncomfortable expression.

Or sadly didn't care.

"I just took a walk through the woods to get away from you" muttered the woman "please, just leave me be."

She was beautiful in some aspects. Her brown bunny ears made it obvious that she was a beastkin in some fashion. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of green, while her chestnut hair that reached the small of her back was well cared for. Her clothing while thick, did little to hide her fit figure. Jaune could certainly see why someone would got o lengths to perhaps talk with her, perhaps even court her. But the extent these three were going was disrespectful to the extreme. Something Jaune wouldn't allow, not in his sight.

His mother was a Knight. A knight of the highest class. She raised her son to follow the same laws of Chivalry, class be damned. A set of laws Jaune wholeheartedly believe in.

"I believe the lady simply wishes to be left alone. Please, do as she requests."

Never give in to anger. Be courteous always. Jaune tried to live to these conditions. Buuut…well as you all know he's a bit of a battle junkie.

Even if he was only slowly learning of it bit by bit.

"What? Fuck off dude can't you see we're busy?"

Jaune stared at him incredulously. He looked at Velvet, her own dull expression revealing her own annoyance at the trio. The grey sheen of her class made it obvious that physically overpowering the three meatheads was not in her deck of cards.

"I'm simply stating a fact. The lady has requested you to leave her presence. Please, abide by her wishes."

He hadn't talked like this in…forever. He sounded like his mother. A fact that Jaune found himself liking more and more as time went on.

"….Look NPC, we're trying to have a fun time" the one called Dove said "so how about you fuck off, and go your merry way!"

"Yea man have you seen these!"

The warrior called Sky attempted to brush his hands against Velvet's breasts. The bunny girl's eyes expended in an unholy rage, her left hand already rearing to hit the man as hard as she could, consequences be damned.

The only reason she stopped was due to the sudden pressure the group felt. It must have been worse for Sky, for the poor man was sweating and hyperventilating.

"Enough. You idiots have had your fun."

He was the same height as Jaune, but his muscular build made Jaune feel smaller in comparison. His name, shining a bright azure blue, was Cardin. His class.

KNIGHT.

"What! No man we're all just have a fun time. W…was just going to give her some encouragement."

The pressure around Cardin seemed to double. His eyes glowing a cold steel blue as he locked eyes with Dove.

"You are literally all retarded. If it wasn't for the fact my grandfather owes a debt to your parents mercenary company; I wouldn't bother with filth like you."

Cardin seemed to eye Velvet with a degree of hate. A hate that was quickly hidden and buried. Jaune was probably the only one to notice it, having been subjected to many discourteous eyes in his time. But hate? Hate was definitely not one of them.

"Hmmm."

"How could you just let them go like that?" demanded Jaune "you know exactly what they were doing. You could have reigned them in that much sooner rather than let their deplorable behavior continue."

Cardin just locked eyes with Jaune. He seemed surprised at something, a something that wasn't Jaune's class. For his attitude seemed to drip down as he noticed his class, color or otherwise.

"I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you. I simply see no reason whatsoever to defend an NPC."

With that he began to walk away. But not before calling his...well friends would have been too kind a term. More like his VIPs for body guarding as it seemed.

"Come you idiots, let's go. I refuse to be late thanks to your theatrics."

Cardin walked, his back straight and his stride meaningful. If Jaune hadn't witnessed Cardin's lack of care…he would have thought him the ideal Knight. Jaune quickly turned his attention to Velvet.

"….my apologies for intruding. Did you need an escort?" asked Jaune.

Velvet rolled her eyes.

"I'm more than capable of walking thank you."

Jaune didn't say anything. He simply nodded and bowed his head. He had done his duty, nothing more. Thanks and compensation, were unnecessary to a Knight beholden to the Chivalric code. A fact Velvet seemed to pick up on. Whatever her thoughts were seemed to alter as she gave Jaune a small smile.

"I'll be fine, thank you for the concern. My name is Velvet."

"Jaune. I hope we have the pleasure of meeting under different circumstances."

Velvet gave a tired smile.

"You're a first year?"

Jaune nodded.

"You seem like a good kid. If you need any help regarding your guild, find CFVY Incorporated, were an independent company…albiet an unpopular one if I'm being honest."

She muttered the last part and began walking away. Her jeans were worn and covered in wood dust. Her jacket was thick and would protect her from the elements. But even so her clothes did nothing to hide her attractive figure. Her hands were heavily calloused, much like Jaune's own. It was apparent that she was a woman of hard work.

"I hope the rest of the day goes better" said Jaune.

Velvet turned her head and gave a tired grin.

"The first week is usually the hardest, don't worry about me."

Her accent was unusual, leading Jaune to believe that she was from another kingdom entirely. She left him with a card with her company name written out on it. Jaune narrowed his eyes as he realized just how complex life at Beacon may become. Velvet was a prime example of that complexity. Beacon was so famous that heroes and unusual classes like himself came from all over the world to attend it. It became so famous that Vale had no choice but to make Beacon natural territory. There was no way that Vale could handle so many people from various Kingdoms, big or small, without incredible planning, luck, and some miraculous bullshit that ensure no Noble, Hero, or even some unusually powerful Labor caste members wouldn't throw a shit storm at the slightest provocation. While it was a school, Beacon had a body count for students that couldn't take the curriculum. It was obvious to anyone that the people in charge would try to use the scenario of their lost hero prospects to pressure Vale, even if said Kingdom made every student aware and sign whatever waiver they can conceive of. As such, the creation of Beacon was a symbol of Vale's incredible Noble caste members. For they had one incredible ingenious idea.

To shove the matter entirely onto Headmaster's shoulders and be done with it. All the issues were regulated to one man or woman, they never had to worry about the fallout of a student dying on their land, and they got any prestigious awards thanks to Beacon being housed within their lands. Politically it was brilliant.

In reality, Ozpin had a hell of a bone to pick with Vale's nobles.

As a prestige labor caste Jaune was quick to notice what was basically an autonomous economy separate from Vale. All three castes were also noticeable. Noble class that ran the entire school, heroes that taught and directed themselves, and laborers who came to hone their skills further and offer said skills to any heroes who required them even if they were in limited number. While Nobles and Heroes came from all over, the average Labor caste was usually directly from Vale's capital City, Vale.

….The Kingdom was not known for their unique naming sense.

While Jaune accepted the complexity of this place he had to admit to one thing…

This place was a god send. On one hand, Jaune had an ample costumer base should he need it. He had a basically untapped market for raw materials that almost no one else would touch. He had yet to see any Blacksmith or Tailor classes, so what metal and leather that was on hand was Jaune's to pick…presumably for a cheap price.

He hoped.

On the other, Jaune was now a part of a guild that knew and respected his strength. A strength he could hone and drive further thanks to future dungeon runs. He needed to increase his power and unlike the heroes, Jaune had multiple avenues to do so.

Jaune had to admit he was starting to warm up to the idea of Beacon. The scythe he had made just revealed to Jaune that the impossible was truly just a word. That if he grew strong enough…that there was no limit to what he could achieve. Thankfully…he was no longer alone in this endeavor. Jaune smiled after arriving to class. The room was simple in design. A chalkboard and desk on one side of the room, with the other being covered in rows and rows of long desks built to sit numerous people at once.

His new guild was seated at one such a desk. Pyrrha gave a small smile and nod to Jaune as he approached.

"Good morning!" she chuckled "I was wondering if you would show up."

"I lost track of time" he admitted "but I wouldn't miss this."

"Apparently today is orientation" explained Ren "I doubt it would have been a good idea to miss it in the first place. Supposedly a lot of concepts and questions regarding our education will be explained in this class. Apparently, it's the only class for the day."

Weiss rose an eyebrow at Ren.

"Where on Remnant do you get this information?" she asked.

Ren held up a book.

"They were handing these out at the front gate? None of you grabbed them?"

"Face it Ren, you're the only person who reads the manual!"

Nora gave a chuckle as she rubbed her hand through Ren's hair. Ren simply sighed and chuckled.

"Supposedly I am it would seem. Beacon's academics are stringent in theory and concepts. Apparently to transition through each year, certain criteria must be met. Each year will be more and more difficult. After completing four years we graduate in a sense."

"Seems…simple" admitted Jaune.

"I feel like there's a lot more to it than "do this and you graduate". Seems a little too easy" muttered Yang.

"I prefer easy over extremely difficult if you don't mind not jinxing it" sighed Blake.

"GAH!"

Jaune near jumped out of his seat. Blake's face, which was covered by her hood, merely gave Jaune a mirthful smirk. Yang was dressed in her usual jacket and jeans, her face trying to contain her laughter.

"Oh man Blake was right, this IS hilarious!"

Ruby pouted.

"It's not that funny! She just pops up out of nowhere!"

Blake shrugged.

"I just walk in and sit down. If you don't notice me that seems more your problem than mine."

"True" chuckled Jaune "say…why are you wearing a cloak to class?"

Blake shrugged.

"I'm just comfortable wearing it."

Jaune nodded.

"Fair enough. Didn't mean to pry."

Blake seemed to smile, however slightly. Ruby chuckled as she adjusted her thick red shirt. It had a hood attached to it, but was not anything like the form fitting cloak Blake was wearing. Jaune was pretty sure it was something called a hoodie, although it seemed a size too large for Ruby.

Ren was wearing a green vest with a black undershirt, leaving his arms bare, and some baggy pants of some kind. Nora had a shirt with some heart designs and jeans, while Pyrrha seemed comfortable in just simple shirt and jeans as well.

Weiss seemed ready to chill at the mall or enter a social gathering full of elites with her own outfit. Her choice of apparel a clash between a classic socialist look and a modern relaxed feel.

"…_.why do I know these terms?"_ thought Jaune.

**ALARM!**

**Due to the activation of the tailor skill, basic knowledge and terms have been "gifted" to the player. However, it is up to the player to further hone your skills and skill trees.**

"_Right!"_ thought Jaune "_I almost forgot I activated that skill tree. Considering I already knew how to sew and make basic clothing, I didn't notice the information." _

Circumstances in Jaune's life had made it a pain in the ass to acquire clothing. Hilariously enough he always had enough money to get by, his neighbors doing more than enough to assist him in that regard, even if the rest of his little town were the opposite of helpful. The issue was getting clothes that would survive in a dungeon for more than a few days. After a while Jaune had given up on getting anything strong enough to endure the rough environments of the dungeons and Jaune's few scraps with death.

Suffice to say there was little that could that were not products "solely" for heroes.

The door suddenly opened, revealing an older man with green hairs and spectacles. His name was Bartholomew. His class was ALCHEMIST and was shaded in blue. Jaune let allow whistle escape his mouth. He had heard of this class before. An extremely rare breed of hero class that centered on manufacturing. It was this class that was responsible for the creation of potions and elixirs. If the individual was strong enough, Jaune heard they could even make bombs, weapons that were highly explosive.

It was their potions that alleviated the dangers of a dungeon and Grimm, if only a little bit. Jaune knew that one of his skill trees, the only one that was locked, was this very class of skills.

"Good morning class! My name is Bartholomew Oobleck and I will be your morning instructor on all thing's history and social in nature! While in the classroom I please ask that you refer to me as DOCTOR Oobleck. Outside of class feel free to call me Bartholomew if that makes you feel more comfortable. Now! Some of you may be wondering why a school dedicated to Heroes needs a historian such as myself!"

He smiled as some students murmured in agreement with his announcement.

"I'm happy to see some of you have been thinking on this! The answer to that question lies in another question! Is Beacon Academy a Hero school? Please give your honest answers."

"Duh. Aren't we all here to train and get ready to join the real guilds?" said a random student.

Jaune couldn't help but agree. That seemed to be Beacon's primary function.

"That is a goal, yes" admitted Oobleck "however Beacon Academy offers opportunity for all castes! Heroes come to learn new skills and tactics in a safe environment while Nobles and the Laborers work to increase their skills. Most of classes within these halls will teach you history, politics, and numerous other subjects that are vital for heroes to understand, especially the Grand Laws."

Jaune swallowed. The Grand Laws were a set of ancient rulings that ALL Kingdoms abided by. There were no exception and no ruling monarch had ever tried to "remove" these laws. Jaune had heard they were subjected to odd circumstances for those that tried. Odd enough that all attempts ceased forever more since that day. But considering it happened so damn long ago, Jaune wasn't sure as to the validity of such a rumor.

"These Grand Laws keep the peace between the kingdoms" explained Oobleck "and are responsible for preventing war on numerous accounts. They've been ingrained so long that many historians, myself included, believe that the Kingdoms have entered a type of social symbiosis….I'm rambling again" muttered the poor teacher.

"My apologies! You all are not here for a history or social lesson just yet. Today is about your victory and what has become of it!"

The smile on Oobleck's face was infectious and numerous students chuckled.

"Today will be general information. While most of you come from a background rich with hero culture, there are a number of you that don't. Perhaps you were born in a Labor Caste family, perhaps a noble one! Any circumstances may explain a gap in information, hence why we offer this two classes for the first day only. An entry lecture and a single combat class to help ease the transition."

Jaune and the others looked at Ren, who just shrugged. Seems the boy didn't know everything.

"We only have a bit of time before this class ends so rather than let myself ramble on again, I'll get right to it. First on our list is guilds. As you are all aware of guilds are central to a hero's career. One cannot be a hero without either joining or creating a guild by Kingdom law. As such Beacon requires that all students within its halls are part of school guilds. This is to prepare you for the world outside and as well teach you the nuances of being a part of one! Am I correct in assuming that most of you are already in guilds, or plan to join one?"

The numerous replies made Oobleck nod.

"Good, good! For those of you who have yet to join a guild, please wait after class and I can assist you. You all have a few days left until rent is expected for staying in your current dorms. Most students find it cheaper overall to simply own a guild house. Whether that is something that is preferable for you is something to discover for yourself. So long as you are registered as a guild, getting a guild house or entering an appropriate rank dungeon is simple."

The man went further into detail, explaining the system that Beacon used. Guilds were used both to house groups of students together, preparing them for the outside world, while also creating a hub that allowed for quick access to appropriate dungeons. So long as a guild and its members were of a certain size or rank, entering a C, B, or even A rank dungeon was possible. As such there was no need for extensive searching when one was looking for quest and dungeons, simply go to the quest and dungeon boards that your guild was assigned. However, the likes of A rank dungeons have never been done by a Beacon student…

And would totally not be done by Jaune and crew…eventually….

Not at all.

On to new information!  
"Now, for those of you who may have forgotten or never learned about our ranking system, I will briefly go over it."

Suddenly the board behind Oobleck created six letters. A, B, C, D, E and a crimson S. There was also a gold EX that was placed even further away from the main group of letters.

"Rank refers to the power of an individual, item, dungeon, or monster. For humans and monsters rankings are a bit more difficult to assign."

Oobleck gestured to himself.

"Consider my class for a moment! All teacher's in Beacon must at least be A rank to be eligible to teach. Now obviously I am not geared towards frontal combat" chuckled the man "so why would my Rank be A?"

Weiss lifted her hand. Oobleck nodded.

"You took the ranking test and passed."

"Correct!" chuckled Oobleck "Ranks from E to A follow a strict guideline. Not only must a certain base level be achieved there are also numerous other factors to consider. Be aware of this for the future. It is possible that you may become A rank in power. However, if your mentally unsound, completely reckless in combat, or even perhaps are terrible at working with others, you will not be registered as A rank. The opposite applies as well. Perhaps you are lacking in power, but make up for it through contributions, unique or powerful skills, or simply have incredible mental prowess! These factors and more go into judging ones rank. Remember, when it comes to the rankings for people and monsters, they are never a true representation of an individual's ability. They are merely a guide. The dungeons are dangerous my students, the guilds will not abide by…as much as I detest the word, STUPID behavior. Remember that as you improve yourselves. Now for those wondering about S rank and EX rank…well that is something one can only obtain through sheer power while the other is simply a demotion for an unpredictable power. Each rank is separated by larger and larger gaps of power. The difference between E to D is small, almost barely noticeable. The difference between C and B is of such a difference that a common B rank is capable of handling numerous top tier C ranks at once, not to mention the abilities of a peak B rank. So, with that in mind, the difference between A rank and S rank can be compared as the distance from you and the sun. Hence why an individual's mental state or prowess has nothing to do with S rank. You are either so powerful you can shake the world or you simply are not S rank. EX rank works differently than any other stat measurement we use. For it describes something that cannot be measured."

The class began to talk amongst themselves, leading Oobleck to quite everyone down.

"Now now" he chuckled "no need to wonder about it. The EX rank is not a symbol of power, but rather that of mystery. There is no other means to obtain it, just to let you all know. To this day there has not been a single individual to ever have an EX stat growth."

Jaune blinked.

"_wait what but I?"_

"Believe it or not" continued Oobleck "Items work much the same."

Oobleck smiled as he gestured towards a new image appearing on the blackboard, a simple long sword.

"However, that similarity is basic at best. Unlike people, the power of an item or dungeon is more easily measured. The ranking of an item or dungeon is the measurement of magical power found within it. Now before you all get excited about getting high ranking drops from your future conquests remember two vitally important things. The first, is that rankings are only a subject of the mana within an item. The effects are what is important. Consider getting an A rank weapon that farts every time you swing it."

Everyone laughed at the ludicrous notion. Until Oobleck took a weapon out of his inventory. It made Jaune's head hurt just looking at it, its pressure near overwhelming him. Then the man swung the sword, causing a wet fart sound to leak from it.

"Inspect" thought Jaune.

**The Blade of Forlorn Flatulence (Rank: A)**

**The sword of forlorn flatulence is a sad one. This is a sword with a single twisted beautiful purpose. To fart. **

_**Oh what yonder wind breaks…through ones arse and blade!**_

**-98% attack **

**+132% gas**

**Unbreakable. **

Oobleck chuckled as he put the sword away but not before Jaune's eyes read the runes that ran along the spine of the sword.

**ALARM!**

**You have learned two new rune words and one enchantment! **

**Runes: Reduction. Poison.**

"_Well that explains the smell"_ thought Jaune _"I wasn't able to get the specific runic sequence but at least I got a couple of words." _

**WARNING!**

**Enchantment: Damage Reduction.**

**Damage Reduction is an A tier enchantment. Player is too weak to fully utilize the enchantment. Effects will change as player grows in strength or certain catalysts are used: **

**Reduce damage or incoming damage by 0%. Success rate: -320%**

Jaune took a sharp breath. The enchantment on a weapon was utterly useless. However, on armor?

It was damn near priceless.

"_No wonder the requirements to use it are so huge" _thought Jaune_ "if I could reduce damage by a quarter or even half, that would be amazing!"_

"As you can see" explained Oobleck "a powerful sword may not necessarily have the greatest effect. Simply because it is A rank does not mean it is all powerful. Sometimes it is better to use a "weaker" rank weapon simply because of its utility or better effects. The second reason is something you all just witnessed. If you attempt to use or equip an item that is too powerful for you than the item will have negative effects on the body. Headaches, body pains, organ damage…and even instant death if the power gap is simply too large. It is for that reason that high ranking hunters are never allowed to have their weapons and armor in public and must contain them within their inventories or within a Vault.. Only in certain areas or extreme situations are they allowed to wield them. Now if you ever come across an S rank item AVOID IT."

Oobleck actually scowled as he stared at everyone.

"I cannot stress this enough. Looking is fine, but if you try to wield an S rank item without being S rank yourself? You will die. There is no exception. Unlike the weaker variation of weapons S rank weapons will outright kill you if you are not strong enough. EX rank weapons are even more dangerous in that regard. You can never tell if you're too weak to wield it due to the unpredictable energy within it. Even if the weapon or item only has that rank due to its unique existence, the fact you cannot tell the two apart makes gaining an EX weapon a very dangerous gamble."

Jaune shook his head. Suddenly his headache disappeared. Probably due to the Spellcaster's Blessing.

"Now we only have a few more minutes for general information. So I would like to end things on an important discussion. One I feel is not discussed often enough with young ones such as yourselves. This topic is about stats and parameters."

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"_Parameters?" _

**ALARM!  
Parameters are status that are unique to each individual human. They are the natural abilities each person has within them. Unique passives, bloodline traits, and even blessings given at birth by Gods are part of parameters. It is even possible for children to inherit a portion of their parents' skills! Parameters can affect an individuals growth. This can be seen through unusual stat growth, unexpected skills, or just impossible abilities.**

**Current Parameter's decoded for player: 48%**

**Player cannot yet see parameters at this analysis percentage.**

Jaune didn't know what decoding meant but it was probably just the system trying to gain…access to his parameters? The boy was only guessing but he decided to indulge Oobleck in his final speech rather than listen to a system that didn't know what it was talking about.

"Everyone knows about stats so will be brief for those whose current knowledge is lacking" smiled Oobleck "Stats are a representation of our physical, mystical, and mental strength and flexibility. Four belong solely for our physical capabilities. Strength and Constitution are commonly high for melee class warriors. Strength should be obvious. It dictates the amount of damage one can inflict, the weight they can lift and so on and so forth. Constitution refers to the durability of the body. It has an active influence on our Health, how resistant to disease and sickness we are, and finally how much damage we can withstand. Agility and Dexterity are more complicated in a sense. Agility refers to the speed and flexibility of our body. The higher the stat the greater the speeds we can achieve. Dexterity refers to how quick some is to respond, having a direct effect on one's own reflexes. It is a stat essential for dodging. As such the two stats are normally high in rouge classes."

He chuckled at some confused remarks.

"As I said, we unfortunately don't have a lot of time left for general information today, so please bear with the essentials for now. Intelligence and Wisdom are straight forward. Intelligence refers to the potency of our magic. While this applies more directly to magical skills, the stat does impart some effect to even melee skills. Wisdom governs how efficiently we use our magic. The higher the stat the lower spells and skills may cost in terms of mana. Both of these stats combined affect our pool of mana. Finally, we land on Charisma and Resilience. Charisma can be described as the mental attack stat. Certain schools of mages depend solely on Charisma for illusions and trickery. Some thief classes also make use of this stat. While Resilience is more focused on."

Oobleck stopped as he heard a student chuckle a joke.

"Mr. Dove, while I appreciate enthusiastic participation in this class, laughing at a private joke is not considered as such."

Oobleck sweat dropped as Cardin's massive hand gripped Dove's head. He seemed to whisper something in the boy's ear, causing the young man to shiver and sweat.

"My apologies Doctor, they will not interrupt again."

Oobleck gave a small awkward smile.

"um…thank you Mr. Winchester. Now, for many heroes the Resilience stat can be considered quite rudely as a dump stat. Something that only Labor castes specialize in. To be truthful that is fair to some extent. But let me dispel you of this illusion. The stat has no physical bearing on the body, as its name may imply. Instead it refers to the resilience of the mind. It is the defense stat against mental attacks and actually is a core stat for consecutive skill casting."

Oobleck smiled.

"Most heroes, myself included, can experience some migraines if we use too many skills consecutively in a short time. Even as an A rank I can only use about three skills in a single instance without any feedback."

Oobleck chuckled at the awed expressions.

"I'm happy you find that impressive young ones. For an average Noble class at level 15 can weave five together in a single instance. Repeatedly."

The shut the room up.

"As you are all aware, the Labor caste has C rank growth across the board. However, while their stats may not reach the heights a Hero's may, they certainly do not reach our lows either. What the Labor caste have that Heroes do not, is a vast store of skills and the resilience to use them frequently. Not to mention they as a caste are resistant to mental fatigue, capable of working incredibly long hours without rest even when compared to high level players."

Jaune blinked. He turned to Pyrrha.

"You get headaches if you use too many at once?"

Pyrrha nodded.

"….that sucks" chuckled Jaune.

"Now of course there are certain conditions in play here" laughed Oobleck "for there are some heroes who have A rank growth in resilience as well but they cannot do as the Labor caste does. This phenomenon and numerous others factors is what lead to the discovery of Parameters and class benefits. Parameters, in simple terms, is the unique factors of one's individual body, class, caste, and in some cases lineage. Everyone is unique, even if they carry the same class. Parameters are unique to each individual, with some similarities, and are still to this day not fully studied. As such there are only certain things we know for sure with regards to each caste within our society. The Labor caste have limitless skill casting and far more skills, the heroes have incredible fighting capabilities, while Nobles have excellent leadership skills and architectural abilities…even if they're a little greedy. Classes can also carry unseen bonuses to their users. This is still ongoing so reliable information is still difficult to come by."

"_He's not wrong"_ thought Jaune _"My Arcane Craftsman class has been giving some of my skills a potency boost to my items. Guess you need a system to see it."_

Everyone laughed at Oobleck's little joke.

"What I am trying to impart amongst all of you is to remember that the society you live in is filled with wonders and amazing people across all castes. It is not perfect. It never will be. But try to find a reason to FIGHT. However benign or self centered the reason may be, it will be what drives you forward in your endeavors. This is the end of our general class today. I hope to see most of you here tomorrow at 9 AM for your first true lesson in Kingdom politics and history. Now I believe you're all looking forward to the fun class no?"

Jaune smiled at Oobleck, enjoying the way the man was able to laugh at himself. He talked incredibly fast, but as fast as he was his speech was endearing and caught your attention. Thus far he was Jaune's favorite teacher, even if he was the only one Jaune had met.

"Well that was an earful" muttered Nora "but at least we get to duke it out with the others now!"

Weiss got up, her face filled with some concern.

"You all go on ahead. I…have something we need to look into."

"Woah woah woah" muttered Yang "we gotta head to class don't we?"

Weiss nodded.

"Indeed, YOU do. I'll be talking with Oobleck. I will catch up as soon as I can."

"What's the problem?" asked Ren.

"So far…I'm hoping nothing. We have yet to be bothered as a guild and I hope it remains that way but…on the way here I overheard the mage classes talking about Ruby's weapon…I don't know how but they know Jaune forged it."

Jaune blinked.

"But how I…"

Jaune then realized he left a smoldering crater where an old forge used to be. Weiss straightened her clothes and smiled.

"I'm worried about getting a guild house, that's all. Considering there are eight of us, owning a guild house is cheaper than each of us renting individually. But if the Merchant guild or even the Mercenary guild want Jaune or anyone of us, than I want to be prepared for any tactic they may use. I'm going to ask Oobleck some questions and then check what's available."

"Seems a little overboard not to mention paranoid" supplied Pyrrha "but if you're sure I won't stop you. Would you like company at least?"

"No, I'll be fine Pyrrha. I have some experience with things like this. Thank you for the offer though."

"So…you're skipping class."

"….Yang."

Yang rose an eyebrow.

"The classes are voluntary."

Yang's jaw dropped.

"What!?"

Weiss shrugged.

"Like Ren said, so long as the criteria for each year is met we don't necessarily have to attend class. There are no tests to be had, no grades to be given. Beacon's teaching model is for the students to improve yourself. If you graduate you are ready, if you fail then they kick you out if you're not dead. At least, that's as far as I understand it. Now go, you can tell me all about it after class."

Yang smirked as Weiss walked away.

"Is it me or does she seem more confident?"

"Probably not worried about being judged as an Atlesian mage."

Yang near jumped out of her skin at Blake's voice. Jaune simply snarked at her.

"Wow Yang you ARE right. It is hilarious."

Yang mouthed at her fellow blonde and then rolled her eyes. Ruby just started giggling while Blake seemed a tad hurt.

"I'm I really that unnoticeable?"

Jaune smiled.

"You seem to just…disappear. Is that your passive?"

Blake blinked…than blinked again…than proceeded to hit her head off the desk. Suddenly her cloak, that was once pitch black, was now a bright white with black tribal designs.

It was a cloak belonging to the White Fang guild, one of the biggest and strongest guilds across the four kingdoms.

"Wait you had a passive activated?!"

Yang's eyes near bugged out at the sight. Blake sighed as she shook her head.

"Sorry. My passive lets me blend in with my surroundings to a degree. It doesn't cost any mana to activate so I just…forget about it really. It can also make clones from my shadows and switch places with them, although the mana cost is hefty."

Nora gave Blake the stink eye.

"See this, this right here? This is what I call bullshit. Me? I have to get hit by lightning. Jaune here's a walking Volcano, and apparently Blake is the lady of shadows. What's next Yang can make explosions?"

Yang grinned.

"I hate you. I hate all of you" chuckled Nora.

"Alright lets go!" chimed Ruby "we got places to be and fights to be had! I'm so excited! EEEHHHHH!"

Ruby shot forth in a blaze of red Jaune blinked.

"Uh…where was that yesterday?"

Yang shrugged as the group moved out and began to make their way to the center of the tower, at least on this floor.

"Her semblance lets her get a massive boost in her movement speed for a bit."

"That seems more like a drastic boost than a massive one" murmured Pyrrha "I've seen A rank heroes in action…her speed almost matches theirs."

Nora glared at everyone.

"I swear to the Gods Ren I SWEAR!"

Jaune chortled while Ren began to sweat. Jaune smiled as he basked in the aura of friendship. He never really hung out with friends. It was nice. It felt all too quick when they reached the center of the tower. It was really just an intersection of all the hallways. The number 3 followed by a letter stood above each hallway opening. But was truly eye catching was the center. The rest of the building had its obvious materials. Wood, stone, metal, and numerous mystical appliances of some sort, the center of the tower seemed like it was lifted and planted right inside. The entire section of the tower was simply grass and some flowers. Nothing more. As damage was accumulated through some of the sparring sessions Jaune saw, the ground would simply regenerate. The wounds on the warriors before him would also seemingly just disappear.

"Interesting" said Jaune "I wonder how it works?"

He never got his answer, as the teacher in the center of all the fighting called for everyone to cease.

"Thank you for volunteering" grumbled Glynda "although the next time you choose to spar…please leave the flirting outside of it."

The two mean gave a sheepish chuckle as they blushed and walked away. Glynda looked to the ceiling begging for patience and restraint. Children.

She was dealing with children.

She looked at the group Jaune was a part of and nodded.

"Carry on students, the next row is here. While classes are voluntary, I do suggest you not skip this one. At least if just to get practice in. While the focus in society is of course with dungeons, do not forget that quests also exist. You will find that the enemies you face within them can range from the grimm to even your fellow man."

Glynda's stern words were laced with annoyance.

"I swear Peter, never again" she sighed.

Not only did she have to cover for the usual sparring teacher, she was also working with Ozpin in trying to ease the spread of Jaune's success. Nobles from around the kingdom were sending letters to Beacon with requests and confirmation. Glynda used to be a fan of the teleportation mail system they learned from Atlas. Truly she was!

But the fact that nobles were somehow able to learn something like this within the span of a day, and spread it across the kingdom? Well the saying was true. Gossip is alive and well no matter the time and place. She loved Ozpin…but her job lately has been nothing but covering for others, easing the tension off nobles, and dealing with children. She just wanted simple paper work for the love of Gods.

"_I hate my job" _thought Glynda.

"Welcome children. Before we begin I would like to say that you are the last group for the day."

Jaune blinked in surprise.

"Really?" he couldn't help but state.

Glynda nodded. Seems she was too annoyed to bother reprimanding Jaune for his interruption.

"Over 78% of applicants failed. 5% were unfortunately causalities."

Jaune swallowed.

"Yes" whispered Glynda, a forlorn tone echoing in her words "even within Beacon the threat of death is ever present. Our system tries to mitigate the risks as much as we can…but we are not perfect. The classes and sparring sessions are purely supplementary. But they are designed to help in and out of battle. To ensure that you improve and are guided to a path that fits best for you. So…please treat this seriously" she begged.

Jaune bowed his head and closed his eyes, offering a moment of silence for the fallen. He placed his right hand over his left and stood feet apart. A custom his Father taught him and his mother. In death everyone was equal, regardless of their sins or positions. In death everyone was worth the same. As such death was the only time in which respect was to be given, not earned.

Cardin was doing the same. Although his hands remained clasped behind his back, his eyes staring at the ceiling. He ignored the looks he got from his band of merry idiots (Cardin's term not mine). As his gaze lowered and his stance softened, he noticed a few of his fellow Knight classes doing the same as himself, earning similar looks. But it was the Arcane Craftsman that caught his eye. His stance was different. It seemed a mix of Atlesian and Vacian (Vase-ian) stances. Cardin narrowed his eyes.

"Thank you" smiled Glynda "now. I'll be honest. I have spent hours, and I do mean hours, making each and every student have a turn at sparring. However, as you may have noticed the last group…was a little to rambunctious shall we say."

True enough the ground around them seemed upheaved and torn apart. Only a medium circle seemed repaired and ready.

"As such today I will allow the student with the highest personal score to select a partner and call it a day."

Jaune smiled at Pyrrha, causing the girl to blush at the unexpected compliment. Jaune also gave a confused look as he realized what Glynda said.

"_We were marked?"_ thought Jaune.

"Cardin Winchester, pick your opponent."

Jaune's eyes damn near bugged out of his head.

WHAT!?

Cardin grunted. He didn't seem to care at all who he fought. Before he could voice such a thing Russell spoke up. His eyes locked on Jaune as he smirked.

"How about Cardin fights that Arcane Craftsman over there" he said in a sickingly sweet tone "I'm curious what HE can do."

Cardin grunted, already moving to the center.

"If the NPC wants to than fine" he muttered "I don't really care."

Jaune rose an eyebrow as Cardin placed a hand over his fist and held it in front of him. He bowed his head slightly, before standing back up and moving to Glynda. It was a gesture Jaune didn't recognize at first but if it was anything like the conduct of Knights that his mother taught him…

Jaune placed his right arm over his stomach and bowed slightly to Cardin when he moved to stand before him.

Cardin's eyes widened. Glynda narrowed her eyes at the two of them, seemingly shocked at Jaune's response.

"You?"

Rather than comment Glynda let the two do their thing. She was curious as to where this would go and was actually shocked that Jaune seemed verse in Atlesian practices of Knighthood. Pyrrha seemed confused as to what was happening, along with almost everyone else. Only the Knight classes spread around the room remained serious. This was not the first time such a thing had happened.

There were bastards in the world after all.

"…What are you?" asked Cardin "earlier you spoke with proper language. You pay proper respects to the dead…and you know the code of chivalry."

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"I thought I was just an NPC?"

Cardin's eyes narrowed as the two moved across each other. They turned their backs against each other, walked eight steps away, than abruptly turned. From behind Cardin a ripple appeared and from it a basic C rank weapon. It was a standard Vale designed long sword. It was the same weapon as Jaune's own longsword, although it's guard was colored red.

"You ARE an NPC."

Cardin assumed a stance. He adjusted himself sideways, his sword pointing at Jaune and his other hand behind his back. A basic stance, meant to teach the importance of protecting one's vitals in combat. However, for the Knights of Vale, it was their stance of ready. A stance to show that they are prepared and waiting.

Jaune took his own sword out without thinking. He started to just relax, ready to use the sword as blindly as he always did…until a thought hit him.

Ever since he had separated from his mother at the age of 11, he stopped applying her teachings. He was an NPC, a labor caste. He wasn't supposed to know how to use the sword. He wasn't supposed to fight. He wasn't even supposed to know magic. Jaune took a breath, making Cardin raise an eyebrow. Was he wrong? Was Jaune just a simple NPC?  
Cardin's answer came as Jaune's arms moved on their own. He placed the tip of the sword on the ground before him. On top of the hilt Jaune placed both hands. His spine straight. His shoulder's squared. His feet were firmly planted.

It was almost if Jaune could feel his mother's shadow behind him, judging him as he attempted to remember that which he was taught so long ago. As he firmly stood in his stance, Cardin went wide eyed. The System too, was not idle.

**ALARM!**

**Parameter interference detected! Inherited skill detected. **

**Minimum stat requirements confirmed. **

**Mental state confirmed.**

**All parameters checked. Inheriting skill. **

**Unlocking skill "Sword Arts (KNIGHT) (LV 2)**

**Parameter decoded 50%. **

**Player can now read a portion of Parameters. **

Jaune locked eyes with Cardin, the rush of knowledge was unlike his other skills. Before it was knowledge he never had. This? This was knowledge that he was trained in. Knowledge his mother taught him regardless of class. Her smile as he got the basics correct, as he laughed with her and his father. As he learned from them.

It felt like a piece of him had returned. A piece that he had discarded. Believed that he was unworthy to use as an "NPC". Only now was he realizing how asinine that line of thinking was. He was not constrained by the caste system any longer. He was simply…

Jaune sighed as he began to slowly edge to the left, Cardin mimicking him by going right. Artorias or Jaune. Both were his names but who was he? Jaune rolled his shoulders as he decided to figure that out himself. To keep getting stronger. Better. Faster. He would level limitlessly until there was nowhere left to go.

This was his new beginning. Jaune twisted the tip of his blade towards Cardin, eyeing his shoulders. He had rushed in before, high on the fact that he could fight a monster solo. Now?

Now was an entirely different story.

"You're from Atlas" stated Cardin "…that's a surprise. You must have been born from a Knight of the Round Table to assume that stance."

"What makes you think that?" questioned Jaune "perhaps I just copied it."

"Too perfect" stated Cardin "I've seen the Knights of the Round Table spar before. There's more to it than simple posturing. It's the angle, the way the sword is held, and the expectation that comes with it. No NPC would see that stance and no other class would dare try to emulate it. Ever. It is reserved only for those residing in Atlas headquarters and part of the round table bloodline. You were trained, barely. At least you kept the manners. My apologies. I stand before you as a Knight of Whinchester. Even if you are an NPC, I will grant you the right your bloodline deserves, bastard as you may be."

Jaune kept his face stoic, the lessons of his mother hammering away in his head, like the fondest of memories. Her face, her stern voice, her constant but gentle adjustments to his form. It was slowly but surely coming back to him.

"I would thank you" said Jaune "and I should. But the behavior I saw earlier…I do not face a true Knight."

Cardin shrugged.

"That is your right to claim. But regardless…do you accept my challenge?"

Jaune simply nodded.

Cardin remained silent as well. His stance widened as his sword now pointed his left side, his right arm facing Jaune. Glynda however watched this with an intrigued expression.

"_If what Cardin muttered to himself was true, then Jaune has some connection with the Round Table. This…this just got more complicated"_ thought Glynda _"They're the only guild in Atlas and are the center of its military. What on Remnant has Godfrey stepped us into now?"_

Glynda remained silent as she watched. Her Magic glowed purple as it infused itself into the two men.

"A curse has afflicted you both. The second your aura depletes both of you will be paralyzed for a moment. Now I speak for the rest of the students here. BEGIN."

Cardin wasted no time, he dashed in. It was two steps but each were enahcned with a skill of some sort. He closed the distance and thrust the sword at Jaune's face. To Cardin's surprise Jaune simply adjusted his stance and flowed with the assault, dodging a bit to the left. He counter attacked with a basic thrust, aiming for Cardin's center. He landed the blow but Cardin quickly back stepped and as he moved slammed his sword against Jaune's as he performed a quick spin in place. The poor craftsman was not expected the sheer strength Cardin put behind his strike, making Jaune's arms fly up as they maintained their grip. Cardin smirked as faced Jaune once more, getting into Jaune's personal space. However, to his immense surprise once more, Jaune dodged.

It was to be expected after all, the worse place an opponent can be for a swordsman was inside their guard.

If your guard was penetrated than your sword was restricted and your vitals open. The best course of action was to put distance. An amateur would simply make distance without thinking, while one that was experienced would position themselves quickly to counter attack or in the case of the most skilled, strike at their opponent when they least expected it.

Cardin knew that Jaune was an amateur or at the very least never fought seriously with a blade. He should have freaked out, rushing back or in another direction in fear. That was the textbook argument at least. But Jaune went differently, he dodged towards Cardin, reversing the flow combat and slammed his shoulder into Cardin's collar bone. Much like before Cardin's body moved with the blow going back, which is what Jaune anticipated. He had flowed with the shoulder charged, using the motion to launch the thrust he had already prepared. It should have landed, dealing a great deal of damage to Cardin's aura. Instead, the Knight reversed his grip with a practiced one-handed motion. He placed the flat of his blade against his forearm and let Jaune's strike flow alongside his sword. Sparks flew as Cardin used his sword to take the brunt of Jaune's thrust, displacing the force and causing the sword to be redirected away from his body. Without pause Cardin slammed his knee into Jaune's stomach and twisted his torso, using the motion to quickly cut at Jaune with a reverse grip style.

Cardin's eyes widened again as Jaune surprised him. The man jumped back with force, rocketing away from Cardin a few feet, enough to be a distance away from his reverse grip style. Cardin resumed his beginning stance and bit his lip.

"_This doesn't make any sense"_ thought Cardin _"He's…just an NPC. He shouldn't be able to adapt this quickly. He's barely a novice, his moves are rusty, and his tactics are lacking…but his instincts are insane. He's adapting to my movements, eyeing for openings. It's like he has no fear whatsoever, what kind of beginner rushes towards the sword? His style and skills are without a doubt lacking…but this NPC…it's like he was built for combat."_

Cardin sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"_What a waste"_ he thought "_I-"_

Cardin's though was interrupted as Jaune's fist rammed into his face. Cardin's brain shook as his vision swam.

"how did you!?"

Jaune scowled.

"It is considered rude to belittle your opponent in the middle of a duel. If you wish to close your eyes, do so on your own time."

Cardin blinked. The way the guy talked before was similar yes, but this just confirmed that the man had SOME training in proper language…even if he would have been thought of as crude anyways as he spoke. Not to mention that the speed and strength of Jaune's blow was greater than any NPC Cardin had encounter…and the man had experience in that department. A fact he never liked to be reminded of.

"You…".

Jaune narrowed his eyes. There it was again. That HATE…the ANGER. It wasn't anything like he felt from the lesser heroes and nobles. To the idiot upper class who were…well idiots, the Labor caste was simply demeaned for being below them. Yet…what Jaune was feeling seemed…personal. Cardin breathed. The anger and hate that Jaune sensed disappearing as well. Jaune blinked and bowed slightly in response.

"I take back my words" said Jaune "only a Knight trained as you would be able to reign themselves in so well."

Cardin scowled.

"This is my loss" he muttered "I've spent the entire fight treating this like a game. I should have taken you seriously from the start."

Jaune rose an eyebrow as Cardin sheathed his sword.

"What?"

Cardin nodded towards Jaune.

"This is your victory."

"No" said Jaune "this isn't over…I've…I've felt that POWER" said Jaune "the one you used before. You're barely fighting at full strength…if you respect me as you insinuate…I wish to see your full strength."

Cardin rose his own eyebrow in annoyance.

"I find it surprising someone as versed as you in Knightly duels would be so hypocritical. Are you not as well holding back? I doubt an NPC such as yourself has anything noteworthy but the fact remains."

Jaune grimaced.

"…a fair point" he admitted.

Cardin grunted as he ignored the jeering from his band of idiots.

"Tell me this" muttered Cardin "…were you thrown away? Like…"

Jaune's eyes shot open fully as he looked at Cardin's back.

"No" he admitted "circumstances caused our separation…but I was never casted aside…were you?"

Cardin grunted.

"Lucky you" he muttered.

Their entire conversation went unheard by the masses, aside from Glynda. Everyone else was too far away to hear anything but little murmuring. Some were impressed an NPC was capable of holding his own. Granted no skills were used in the first place, but the fact remained.

Jaune stared at Cardin as the man retreated. His hate…it wasn't unusual for the hero caste to…indulge in the labor caste for fun so to speak. It was a common story. A dashing beautiful hero, a rescued and awed labor caste. Sparks would fly…but the romance would never stick.

In theory.

Jaune's parents went against the grind. They had raised him with love and kindness…and his mother decked anyone who tried to remove his status as her heir. She trained him to be a knight…but what Jaune loved most about her was the fact she went out of her way to ensure he had proper tools and resources to practice his forging. His training to be a knight was never to remove the "stain" of his labor caste…but to give him protection and the means to fight back.

As Jaune watched Cardin join his group again…he couldn't help but appreciate just how lucky he was…

For the usual fate of bastard children was not normally so kind. Jaune knew that from his perspective, it was the hero caste and noble caste that seemed to harbor the most…ill reputed people.

But he had seen with his own eyes and suffered a small bit at the hands of his fellow labor caste…it made him shudder at the thought of what Cardin might have went through. Still…that was something for another time. Jaune had noticed Cardin seemed…lazy with his blade. The entire time he was never putting his full effort, just going through the motions. It was a skillful display of swordsmanship that Jaune had ever seen thus far. He wanted to learn…

And he may have just found the perfect sparring partner to further hone his Knightly skills.

"DUUUUDE! When the hell were you going to tell us you can fight with a sword?" chuckled Yang.

"Well…it was something I never really thought I should do".

"…what, that's dumb" chuckled Nora.

"I've just realized that yes" said Jaune "…is Weiss still not back yet?" he asked.

Ruby frowned a tad.

"No. I'm starting to get a little worried. I mean not about Weiss! I think she's fine but…what she said is kind of bugging me."

Blake, her cloak once again black with her passive, nodded.

"I'm back."

Ruby jumped this time. She pouted at Blake as the poor girl turned off her passive.

"Sorry" she chuckled "I've been…snooping around, listening to people talk for the last few minutes. I don't think the Merchant guild is our only problem."

"Oh great the mercenary guild wants Jaune too" muttered Yang.  
Blake grimaced.

"No. They want all of us, except Jaune. Apparently, their greatest generation just graduated and now they're hungry for new recruits."

"Explains why they were going after me and Ren so much" explained Nora "but all of us?"

Blake nodded and looked at Ren curiously. The man's eyes were closed as he stood silent, seemingly taking it all in. The poor man.

"They want Yang for being a Branwen."

Yang shrugged. Apparently, this wasn't the first time that people wanted her solely for her last name.

"Ruby is desired for that reason as well…but also because of someone named Summer?"

Ruby flinched as she paled. Yang grit her teeth and just sighed.

"They don't seem overly interested in myself or Weiss, but apparently they are also trying to recruit us. We cleared our dungeon rather quickly while carrying an NPC, so they want to keep the team dynamic."

"It seems their information is outdated" stated Pyrrha "Jaune was not carried nor useless in the conflict. However".

Blake smiled in agreement. Pyrrha seemed oddly oozing with authority at the moment. Not at all like the shy apologetic girl from before.

"You have experience with the sword?" she asked Jaune.

"Um…well yes" supplied Jaune "my father also taught me how to shoot with a bow…I'm not that good with it but I plan to pick it up."

"Anything else?"

Jaune swallowed. Was it him was it getting hot? Damn it she was staring at him intently.

"Um…there was also some spear work my mom tried to teach me. I didn't get very far with it but-"

"Excellent we start tomorrow" smiled Pyrrha.

"We start the what?" asked Jaune.

"Our training. I'm excited to see if we can combine your passive with some martial combat. I see plenty of uses for it."

Pyrrha beamed at the young man, causing Jaune to smile crookedly. A small blush on his face.

"Oh uh…that's great" he chuckled "but...shouldn't we start looking into a guild house first?"

Pyrrha nodded.

"True."

It was like a switch was flipped. Pyrrha's face suddenly went beet red as she began apologizing.

"Sorry!" she stated "I'm just excited to spar with everyone and seeing you fight made me relieved you wouldn't be left out! I mean not that you were weak or anything but I didn't thinkyoucouldweildaswordand-"

Pyrrha shut her mouth.

"Sorry."

Jaune actually busted out laughing as the group moved away from Glynda's class. Glynda would have reprimanded them for it, but considering the topic of their conversation regarding guild houses…well she let them off without an issue. They were not leaving because they were bored, but rather to ensure they had suitable housing.

"It's not a problem" smiled Jaune "I'm excited too. I've put aside my training after I separated with my mother, it would be good to take it all back…speaking of which, when we get that guild house I'll…tell you all about my mother."

"Uh, seems a little forced bud, its alright you can take your time" said Yang "we got all four years here at Beacon at least."

Jaune smiled.

"I appreciate that. But there is a goal I must reach, one that I plan to reach as soon as I possibly can. I don't want to disappear on you guys when I go back to Atlas."

"So you are from Atlas huh?"

Pyrrha seemed to stare at Jaune in awe. She had figured out his mother was Arturia Pendragon, but his admission that he was originally from Atlas cemented it.

"Yes. I moved to Vale about…eight years ago now. I'm twenty right now…so it's been a while since I've last been back home."

Jaune notice that the tower he was in had doors littering the hallways. Each of these doors using magic to teleport the student to the various floors within the tower. One of these just so happened to be the medical ward, floor 21B.

"Before we go see Weiss, do you mind if I visit my dad?"

"Wait your dad is here?" asked Blake "why? Wouldn't he be better off in Vale's facilities?"

"Perhaps" said Jaune "but his treatment only progresses so long as I'm a student of Beacon. I'd like to check up on him for a bit if that's alright."  
"Dude you never have to ask, just go!" chucked Yang.

"I can come with you if you'd like" muttered Pyrrha.

She was surprised herself at the offer she just made. Pyrrha fought her blush, reminding herself that this wasn't Minstral.

"Sure" smiled Jaune "I'd appreciate that."

The two walked through the portal, Ruby's scythe dimmed in energy as the boy left its vicinity.

Ruby pouted at it as Yang blinked in surprise.

"Damn you weren't kidding. It really does dull without him around. Does it miss its dadd-OUCH!"

Yang had begun twitching her finger over the scythe, much like it was a cat being rubbed under the chin. The puff of fire that bit at her made Yang shake her hand to cool it down.

"That things mean!" she yelped "what the hell did Jaune make?"

"Apparently a semi-conscious weapon" said Blake "they're not that uncommon for dungeon drops."

Ren finally woke up in surprise.

"What happened?"

"….Was he?"

Ren grumbled as he went back into a relaxed meditive state.

"Is he sleeping!?" asked Yang.

Nora chuckled.  
"Nah, he's just meditating. Although I can never tell from time to time. He just walks in tune with me when he does that. You guys didn't notice?"

Yang just started laughing as she rubbed her hot finger.

"Gods I love this place" she smiled.

Her smile waned a bit though. Summer…she looked at Ruby and while the girl seemed alright…Summer was always a sore topic for her. Yang sighed as she grabbed her sister and pulled her in close.

"Come on sis cheer up! We got a lot to do if we're gonna get that guild house! Now…ooh a notice board! We can get some quick information, there right?"

"We should" agreed Blake "Beacon employs a mystical interface for all their notice boards so we can look into what's available for the guild houses."

As the group moved over to the relatively uncrowded board, Jaune and Pyrrha were making their way to the front desk.

After being teleported to the medical ward, Jaune notice that the entire building was now pure white. It was a thick hallway leading a desk. No doors, no openings. Just a desk.

"Ok" muttered Jaune "this is creepy."

Pyrrha couldn't help but agree and follow him.

The two made it to the desk where a young Noble was currently using magic to type something. She looked up at Jaune and Pyrrha and smiled.

"Can I help you two?" she asked.

"Uh yes…I'm here for Shirou?"

The noble blinked, her class was ADMINISTRATOR and glowed emerald.

"Hmm…Ah yes the sleep patient. We have him in room 304."

With a tap, the woman pushed a button and a portal appeared.

"For sanitary and patient safety we have the rooms only accessible with portals. When you're done please press the button on the side of the room and you will be transported here."

Jaune wondered why something like this was even implemented but agreed. He jumped through the swirling blue gate, with Pyrrha simply walking through it. As Jaune landed he eyed his father for the first time since he arrived at Beacon. Unlike his son, his hair was prematurely grey. However, he was tall and even after being asleep for years, his muscles were still lean and chiseled. Years of medicine and medical messages kept his body from atrophying completely. His skin was a light shade, a natural complexion for people from Atlas.

Pyrrha stayed in the corner, not wanting to interrupt.

"Hey dad…finally got you the better bed I kept telling you about."

Jaune chuckled weakly as he took his father's hand. As usual it was warm to the touch, far warmer than any other persons. Even after all these years his father still carried an imposing figure. But to Jaune, it was a comfort for him.

"We'll get you awake soon…and I promise that I'll try my best to get mom here as soon as I can. It's good to see you're being taken care of here. I miss Doctor Peach back home, she took good care of you, but here we can actually treat you…you fought so hard to keep this at bay…now its my turn to fight."

His father to Jaune's knowledge was the only person ever capable of FIGHTING the curse of sleep. Normally once one was deemed cursed by sleep, they would never wake up. But Shirou…it was like he was an inhuman machine. He forced his way through the curse multiple times. Each time he woke up he would take longer to regain consciousness, but he fought it. He finally fell to the curse when Jaune was fifteen. He watched his father fight with everything he had.

Jaune would do the same.

Jaune took his father's right hand and gripped it. Pyrrha seemed concern as she looked at his father.

"Your father is missing?"

"Yea" said Jaune "he lost his left arm years before I was born. They didn't like talking about it so I don't know much about it. Apparently some dungeon run gone wrong?"

Jaune shrugged.

"Didn't stop him from teaching me about the forge."

Jaune stood up. Patting his father's shoulder one last time before leaving.

"it was good to see you dad."

Jaune turned to Pyrrha.

"Thank you for being here with me. It means a lot."

Pyrrha smiled.

"It seemed like you didn't want to be alone is all. I'm sure the others would have offered."

Jaune smiled. That was true. They all seemed like good people, his friends.

"Alright" said Jaune "lets figure out what Weiss has for us."

The two left the through the portals, thanking the receptionist on the way out. But when Jaune made it back to the hallway, he noticed Weiss talking to everyone…and she seemed far from happy.

"…What happened?" asked Jaune.

"Well for starters the Merchant guild just bought every free guild house."

Jaune blinked.

"What?"

Weiss grimaced.

"Yes. It would seem they wish for Jaune to spearhead a new campaign that would make them millions of lien. As such they are trying to strong arm you into joining their guild."

"They havn't even offered me anything yet?".

Weiss frowned.

"Supposedly your cooperation is unnecessary. They are aware of your father's…condition and the deal you have with Ozpin."

"What the actual fuck" said Nora "that's just…that's screwed up!"

Weiss nodded.  
"Ordinarily we can just do quest and dungeons to make lien and just rent out at Beacon till this blows over. The merchant guild is not all powerful. They cannot buy these guild houses and do nothing with them. I managed to get in contact with Bartholomew after class and he informed me that Ozpin has already started cracking down on this tactic…however it is not illegal and it will take weeks for the guilds to start opening up again. But that isn't the only problem. The Mercenary guild, along with many smaller guilds, are holding and accepting all current and incoming quests for the next month."

"Are they trying to kick us out?" asked Yang.

"No. If anything they probably plan to wait us out till the last week and than offer to bring us in…when we don't have a choice."

"Oh come on" muttered Nora "this…this is bullshit they can't do that! I want this to work man!"

Ren clasped his friend on the shoulder.

"I do as well…so" stated Ren "on the one hand we have the Merchant guild have a deposit down on all available plots of land for guild houses correct?"

Weiss nodded.

"Thankfully they didn't outright buy them, or we wouldn't be having this issue. It's illegal for them do so in the first place within Beacon. Still, so long as that deposit is in, we cannot buy the land nor gain access to Beacon's funds to build our guild house. And before you ask, the deposit lasts a month before full payment is needed. Even if they freed up before months end we'd need to do quests and dungeons to gather funds to buy the land in the first place."

Ren nodded.

"So the Mercenary guild wants us and the Merchant guilds want Jaune…is there anything we can do?"

Weiss looked around, making sure no one was here.

"Blake can you do a physical check for me?"

Blake walked into a shadow and merged with it. Weiss closed her eyes and opened them. They now glowed an Azure blue.

"Mana detection."

A ripple of blue energy echoed out sweeping across in a circular manner.

Weiss shook her head as she blinked the blue away.

"Don't use that skill much" she muttered "always gives me a headache with all that information. Thankfully no one is around. Blake?"

Blake appeared once more and shook her head.

"Hallway is empty, for now."

Weiss breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. I heard that there is a free guild house. In fact, it once belonged to one of Beacon's best guilds."

"And its free to buy?" asked Ruby "well that's continent!"

Weiss shook her head.

"No you can't buy the guild house or the land its on. I overheard a few mages complaining about the lack of mana crystals in their guild house. This is when I learned about the Mercenary guild taking all the quests and dungeons for the next month. Anyway, after talking with them I learned about the old guild house. Apparently, many mage classes use this place as a farming location for mana crystals. They're low in quality but that's not what we need. No instead what we need to do is clear the house out and take the deed. If we present the deed to Ozpin, we own the house free of charge. Beacon has restricted the area to students and faculty only, which means the Merchant guild won't be able to stop us since all their hero classes are graduated students that protect them."

"So what we got to clear a house full of Grimm?" asked Yang "Doesn't seem so bad."

Weiss shoom her head.

"If Grimm took residence the house would have been destroyed already. No the house is haunted and home to an unnaturally large amount of undead and spirits."

"….Oh fuck no" muttered Yang.

"The issue about the guild house isn't the undead" continued Weiss "they are apparently quite weak. The issue that no one can get around is why they keep coming back and so quickly. If we can solve that mystery not only do we get a large amount of land and a guild house for free, but the Mercenary guild and the Merchant guild will not be able to touch us for the month, since we can use the building funds from Beacon to pay off our first month payments…I've been trying to figure out anything else we could do but I've come across nothing. No one has figured out why this house remains haunted for the last fifty years. The churches couldn't do, the school couldn't do it, and even the exorcist guild couldn't figure it out, and they SPECILIZE in dealing with spirits and undead."

Weiss took a breath and shook her head.

"If we want to stick together, than we need to do this. There is honestly no other way."

"I mean…we could just see each other in the Mercenary guild and visit Jaune" muttered Yang.

"No, you can't" sighed Jaune "they'll lock me in a forge and try to hammer out my class to its full potential. I'll never be able to go free my mother if they keep me locked in there. They'll just promise to help me as a means to get me to work harder or something. The carrot and the stick approach as it were. If they don't care about my cooperation, then they won't care about what I need to do."

The whole free his mother thing was a bit concerning to everyone, but they nodded.

"The Mercenary guild may let us stay as a team for a time" said Ren "but they will cast aside anyone of us that isn't up to par. One mistake and they cast you out. They do not care about us in anyway shape or form…at least the Mercenary guild in Vacuo didn't. I don't expect their sister guild to be any different."

Yang grimaced.

"…You don't ike zombies do you?" asked Jaune.

Yang turned green as she shook her head.

"I'll fight dragons, demons, angels, hell throw me at a gnome for all I care but zombies? Ghosts? I'm out."

"Bitch I'm in!" yelled Nora "lets do it!"

Yang groaned as she shivered.

"Alright alright! You convinced me!" she said.

"No one said anything" muttered Ren.

He received a hit on the shoulder from both Nora and Yang for his trouble.

"Best to get started right, away right?"

Everyone turned to Pyrrha.

"If we dally any longer, the guilds may get on to us. I have some lien I can use to get supplies if we need them. Best to get started now before anyone can find out about what we're doing."

"Alright" said Jaune "how about we meet up at the place where we did our initiation. Then Weiss can lead us to the haunted house."

Everyone agreed and began to make their preparations. Jaune however was stopped by a very familiar sound.

**ALARM!**

**You have completed Daily Training!**

**You have earned three stat points to distribute to your stats. **

**Daily Training (II) has been unlocked!**

**You have started the quest "Haunted Guild!"**

**You have unlocked the requirements for Grand Quest "From the Shadows it Watches". **

Jaune blinked in surprise. A grand quest?

**ALARM!**

**Quest - Haunted Guild: **

**You have begun the mystery of the haunted guild. It has stood undisturbed for fifty years after numerous people have tried and failed to solve the mystery. All who tried, save for a select few, have died in the attempt. Can you figure out how to close the gate of shadows and reclaim this lost guild as your own? **

**Rewards: Guild house. Medium XP. ?. **

**Failure: Kicked out of Beacon. **

**Oh, and death.**

"Why am I not surprised" grumbled Jaune.

**ALARM!**

**Congratulations you have begun your first Grand Quest! Grand quests are multi step quests that give massive exp and huge rewards. They are extremely unpredictable and dangerous. But the rewards are worth the risks! Due to the nature of Grand Quests, there is no failure punishment, but rather to continue the quest the player must discover for themselves the next step.**

**GRAND QUEST- From The Shadows it Watches. Step 1**

**From the shadows it watches. It craves the flesh and life it once had. It craves the power and prestige it never gained. It is coming. But is it coming for you? Hunt the creature that stalks the shadows and figure out what it wants. Is there perhaps more to this than meets the eye? Or is this an enemy that you have yet to discover? **

**Rewards for completing step one: Massive XP, Medium XP for all skill trees, Good fortune box, Ill-fortune box, Store coupon. **

**Reward for completing Grand Quest: Massive XP, five levels, 15 stat points, 1 A rank weapon. **

Jaune blinked. Than he blinked again.

"What the hell have I gotten into?"

It was at this moment that Jaune knew for a fact that Salem was laughing her ass off.  
"Well at least one of is having fun with this" he muttered "The rewards are insane for this quest…it must mean that its far too dangerous for me to tackle right now."

Suddenly the feeling of a hand going up his spine filtered through, and a soft throaty chuckle echoed in his ears. Jaune sighed as he rubbed his head.

"So she can talk to me outside of my dreams. I really hope I'm not going crazy" muttered Jaune.

"…who am I kidding I'm going to free a haunted house just so I can live it in…well at least life isn't boring."

**END. **

**PHEW! I have just finished this chapter an all updates for from the previous chapters as well. I've also, at the time of posting, started the 6****th**** chapter as well for this story. After chapter 6 the Ultimate Weapon will be the next story update. Now, just in case you're the kind of person who reads the bottom notes instead of the patch notes above, I will stat this once again. The EX rank is NOT a symbol of OP gains. It is instead a rank that correlates to something unpredictable. For instance, Jaune's growth in Resilience is not fixed in a certain range. He could gain 5 to 30 points in that one stat per level. He could gain zero! He could gain a hundred! (He never will but just for arguments sake). It is the same for items. Items that can freely change their level of power under certain conditions have the EX rank. Weapons that are unique, otherworldly, or just plain weird also have the EX rank. Also, I hope everyone was a fan of the sword of forlorn flatulence. It's a physical symbol that rankings are rigid but don't mean everything in this world. Also, I hope the reasoning for needing to clear a house full of zombies and ghosts was one that made sense. Beacon is not a school that can just throw its weight around. The Merchant guild is their main source of economy, while the Mercenary guild, due to its incredible size, is responsible for handling most of the dungeons. As such they do have some limited pull to be able to do this for the time being. And don't worry this quest of Jaune's will not take a full month to pull off XD. Now rather than have you guys push through the previous chapters for Jaune's new stats, I'll post it here on the bottom. He has not gained any new skills that have been MENTIONED yet. As such this page will lack a skill page for this chapter. **

**Jaune (Artorias) Level 21: **

**STR: 75 (A)**

**CON: 75 (A)**

**DEX: 58 (C) **

**AGI: 57 (C)**

**INT: 93 (A)**

**WIS: 82 (A)**

**CHA: 63 (B)**

**RES: 139 (EX)**

**After the I say around chapter 7, these update notes will be removed as I assume everyone will be caught by that point. As always thank you for the incredible support and welcome to Arcane Craftsman V.2**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys and welcome to the latest chapter for Arcane Craftsman. Things will start to really pick up from this point on. Also, I have noticed that some people have commented on the stats and parameters that have been brought up. In simple terms it works like this. **

**Stats are a product of levels. They are added to the person as they level up. Parameters are like the base of a person and their unique attributes. Every caste and every class give a benefit of some kind to their users. For instance, you've already noticed that Jaune's Arcane Craftsman class buffs some of his skills and the potency of his items. Due to there being a lot of background information that has been explained thus far, I have decided to induce the possibility of creating a makeshift guide book. A separate story that explains any mechanics that you guys would like to be expanded (that have no bearing on the story obviously) let me know what you guys think in the reviews!**

**On the topic of stories I have a second announcement as well. For those of you that are a fan of my Journey story I'm afraid I have bad news. The spark has officially died. Since this horrible pandemic has started (hope you all are keeping safe and keeping some distance XD) I have re-watched, reread, and replayed anything remotely Witcher. I had hoped that this binge of all things Witcher related would spark my muse for Journey again…and in a way it did. There exists a possibility that Journey will be rewritten with a new direction, one that's more concise and focused than my previous story. **

**Now I said possibility for a reason. With the deletion of Journey in its current form, I now have a third slot open for other stories that have tickled my fancy. These various stories are spread across many fandoms and not just simple fusions with RWBY either. At the end of this chapter will be a short collection of story titles and summaries for future possible projects. I wish for you guys to vote on which story should take the place of Journey. I am equally willing to write almost all of them equally with few exceptions as such to help my indecisive ass, I'd like you all to state your opinions and vote! This does not mean the chapters for said stories will release soon, but rather it will be planned out and writing will begin. Now, enough of this boring shit XD Here's the chapter for Arcane Craftsman! Enjoy! **

**P.S Sorry for the late chapter, Pandemic has fucked up my life schedule.**

**Next Chapter update: The Ultimate Weapon. **

**Chapter 6: Carry on my Wayward Guild. **

Jaune stared at the giant bag that Weiss had Yang carry for her their entire walk here.

"…Is all that really necessary?"

Weiss shrugged.

"We have no idea what we'll find there, not to mention on the off chance that we actually manage to succeed we'll still need supplies."

"What you don't believe we'll win?" grinned Yang.

"Forgive me if I'm a little skeptical that we'll be able to figure out a mystery that no one else has over the last fifty years."

"Oh come it can't be that bad!" chuckled Nora.

"Our headmaster was one of the failures."

Everyone shut up at that.

"….well my confidence just died" grumbled Blake "If Ozpin couldn't do it, what makes you think we have the slightest chance of pulling it off?"

"time" mumbled Weiss "all spells, no matter their strength, are affected by time. Some degrade and others increase in strength, especially spells that remain after their caster has died or moved a large distance away. Most of it is circumstantial I'll admit, but what I've been hearing as pointed out that the potency of whatever magics have affected the guild house has waned over the years. It's all rumor obviously or Ozpin and the teachers would have settled the guild matter years ago. But…this is our one shot at sticking together…and I rather not miss it just because it sounded too hard."

"Well said" smiled Pyrrha "nothing stops us from retreating if things get too difficult."

"True" said Ren "not to mention that you said students have been farming this place for magical stones correct?"

Weiss nodded.

"Yes. They sell it to Vale to make extra cash. The stones help power the city after all so Vale offers a fair amount for them."

"Huh, so that's what they were used for" said Jaune "I always thought they were a crafting comp-"

Jaune gained a savage grin at the thought.

"….Ok I'm just gonna say it, that's creepy" muttered Yang.

Jaune lost his grin and rose an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

Yang gave a shaky smile in return.

"oh nothing. So…I'm guessing that's it?"

The group arrived at their destination just as the evening began to settle. The house was…well it was more a mansion than it was a damn house.

"Shit this place is huge!" yelled Nora "This is definitely not something we can scout out quickly."

"Perhaps not, but I doubt the entire building is stuffed with the undead."

"I regret coming here" said Yang plainly "I signed up to fight deadly monsters, not walking corpses. But it's this or be subjected to the weirdos, so let's do it!"

"I don't think the elder guilds are weird but I'm on board" said Ren "the question is how should we begin?"

Jaune shrugged.

"Walk through the main door?"

The mansion had a large set of doors situated in the middle, surrounded by destroyed and aged furniture that littered the front as a makeshift patio. It was obvious that the previous guild owners were obvious about sprouting their wealth. At least it seemed that way to Jaune. The entire thing was covered in vegetation. There was no way to tell if the house was framed by just wood or made with stone.

But the doors? Well the doors were hard to miss.

They were fucking gold after all.

"…We're not keeping that" muttered Ruby.

Everyone agreed immediately. It took a special kind of stupid to make a set of doors of pure gold. Jaune grimaced even further as he realized the doors were actually made of GOLD, not painted a certain color, not a certain special kind of shade, but literal gaudy gold.

….hell whoever owned this place probably deserved whatever happened. Talk about an oof.

"I'm surprised no one ripped it off and sold it yet" chuckled Blake.

"That would be because of me dearie."

"OH SHIT!" yelled Yang.

Before anyone could stop her, Yang's eyes glowed blue and her fist shot out at the source of the noise at her left, forcing Ren to duck and move out of the way. The air rippled from the force her fist exerted and a loud explosion echoed.

"…Well that was just rude. I was just trying to say hi. You're the first people I've gotten to talk to in over fifty years after all! Most of you just ignore me. Welcome, to the Phantom Guild House!"

Everyone finally noticed the tall figure that stood by the doors in an impeccable suit. It smiled at them pleasantly, his accent completely foreign to them and his tone light and amicable.

He was also entirely white, had blue markings all over his face, eeire black and blue eyes, and a pair of horns sticking out of his head like a ram.

"…..Ok first off what?"

"That's a summon" said Weiss in awe "a bonafide summon!"

"Oh that's cool" grumbled Yang "I'm here to fight the undead not demons!"

"You really don't do well with any spiritual entity do you?" asked Blake.

The demon in question just rose his eye. There was no hair for eyebrows for it, only the dark hair that decorated its head in a particular manner.

"Demon? My apologies but that's not…ahhh it's the horns isn't it. Its always the horns."

The horns shrunk into its head without missing a beat.

"My apologies my name is AEHSYRR BHWJKJW WUWYEYYS"

The words that escaped its mouth was incomprehensible. Much like Salem, the words above its head were also nothing but gibberish. The being before them sighed as they shook their head.

"Ah. Again my apologies, you corporeal flesh bags cannot understand my existence…well not yet anyway. But to assure the young woman before you, I am not in fact a mere demon!"

"Oh thank the gods" muttered Yang.

"I'm an Arch Demon of knowledge, my summoner referred to me simply as Maze."

Yang felt her soul leave her body. Blake rose an eyebrow. Weiss meanwhile was beaming at Maze. Her smile left her face quickly though.

"We have to fight you don't we?"

Maze smiled.

"Thankfully no. For the unfortunate parties that came before, I was indeed their enemy…although not of my will. The years have degraded the sigils and skills that bind me, as such I can simply remain out of your way, as a few students have noticed such as yourself. As such I have the freedom to simply stand."

Jaune noticed that the suit the demon wore now disappeared, replaced simply with a pair of pants and a rolled up dress shirt. Their bare arms revealing rows and rows of red ugly sigils, some of the wording and runic structure having gaps and holes within it, like corroding metal. Jaune's eyes glowed crimson as he read the sigils.

"Binding. Servitude. Restriction. Destruction. Direction. Resistance."

Jaune blinked as the rest of the runic structure came together in his head. Immediately Jaune scowled at what he saw. This thing was basically a Giess. The binding was obvious. Servitude another no brainer. The runic structure around Restriction was almost too much to count, but the words were…. brittle for the lack of a better term, unable to hold and exert the power they once could. Destruction was the annihilation of this being's soul if it went against its contract. Direction and resistance were one word in this case, confining the being to the building and grounds. There was much more to the contract, like sub clauses and fine print.

Jaune clicked his teeth in annoyance. It was too similar to what was used against his mother. It wasn't the same, far from it, but the spells binding maze was of the same category as the kind that bound his mother.

Maze blinked in surprise.

"Oh my, I didn't expect a runewright amongst your grouping! Why this is excellent, this will all-"

Maze stuttered as they watched their form slowly dematerialize.

"Oh bugger me" it muttered "it will be a time before I restructure myself again. The rune work on my body is a shit show right now. Alas woe is me. Before I fully disappear again allow me to leave you with some advice. Not like the contract can harm me further at this moment anyway. If you wish to obtain the guild house you must eliminate all the undead within this building. Be wary of them however, for they are not the undead you are accustomed to. If you can do that than wait for me again. DO NOT ENTER THE BASEMENT. Not before talking with me ag-"

Maze's words were cut off as their head disappeared. Yang blinked, looked around, and blinked again.

"…..ok second what the fuck" she muttered "and yes I totally stole that from Nora, no regrets."

The two high-fived with grins. But then Yang turned to Weiss and stared at her incredulously.

"Ok but seriously what the hell was that?"

"That was a demonic being" said Weiss.

"No shit I meant the whole summoning deal." grumbled Yang.

Weiss shook herself from her stupor.

"Right. It would seem that a Summoner class managed to get lucky and brought forth an incredible servant. What we saw was the main means of attack for the Summoner and Conjurer classes. They summon, create, and bind astral beings from beyond our world and through skills can enhance them to fight. But summons are tricky" explained Weiss "It's not unusual for the summoned to be many times greater than the summoner. If what Maze stated was truthful, then he is without a doubt a top tier summon…one that someone has bound to the mana and structure of the house, probably. Jaune…you could read the sigils on him?"

Jaune shrugged helplessly.

"Not really. I couldn't read those blue marking he had, but the red runes on his forearms…it was basically a magical contract…but it seemed like multiple skills overlapping each other to meet a require effect…each sequence was unique as if it was applied by a different person? It worked but it made the whole structure fragile…Its hard to explain" said Jaune "but each rune felt…like it was written in a different dialect."

"Probably joint casting" muttered Weiss "I've heard that certain skills and passives can synergize together for different effects, it's the basis for how most of our magic systems were made after all"

Jaune thought back to the train and nodded.

"…but why would this guild have wanted Maze bound…"

"Is it possible Maze is the reason this whole place is haunted?" asked Nora.

"I doubt it" muttered Pyrrha "if he wanted to kill us, why warn us of the basement?"

"Could just be a trick, like reverse psychology" said Ren.

"Ok that's it" muttered Yang.

"Wait Yang!"

The blonde ignored her sister as she stepped up to the doors and snap kicked them open. The force she used sent the dented doors flying of their hinges and into their respective walls.

"Seriously, we can speculate and guess all we want later" said Yang "for now I say lets clear this place. If we can't even handle the undead here, why bother trying to figure out Maze?"

Weiss smiled.

"A fair point. Let's find a place of rest before begin exploring the house."

"I say just right here"

"Sheesh, it is big enough isn't it?" asked Nora.

The Front foyer of the Phantom Guild house was undeniably wide and spacious, albiet only an 18 foot walk before the actual entrance of the place. It also had many eroded and broken paintings, furnishings, and plaques that held awards for people to see on either wall. The golden doors, the paintings and plaques…

"….so anybody else think they compensating for something?" asked Blake.

"Perhaps, but not like it matters" smirked Nora "We're gonna take this place for all its worth baby!"

Ren simply smiled and began to help Nora move all the garbage and debris. The set up was simple and efficient. They gathered a bunch of old wood and placed it in the center. They placed the two large bags at each end of their "camp" fire and began to remove the food and items that they brought, but mostly food and potions. Jaune inspect the potion.

**Inspect: Red Potion (Rank C): **

**Imbued with the essence of healing and spirit, this red potion excels at replenishing health and healing small sickness. Tastes like vomit but it will keep you regular. Cannot regenerate lost limbs, organs, or heal in the case of deep critical wounds…which sucks.**

**Effect: heals 200 points of health. Side effects after multiple excessive consumption include vomiting, nausea, seeing "colors", horrid aftertaste, existential crises, lingering doubts, depression, questioning your reason for even bothering, itchy ass cheeks, and the constant lingering doubt that this is all nothing but a simulation written by some weird asshole living in his mother's basement.**

Jaune blinked.

"….do….do any of you know the side effects for this potion?"

Weiss grimace.

"yes the horrid after tastes after drinking a few in one go is far from pleasant."

"That's not really what I meant?"

"ZOMBIE!"

Ruby had already disappeared, the doors leading to the house already long opened. The group rushed in but only arrived to see Ruby holding her scythe up, a zombie twitching from the blade as the young Reaper held her scythe aloft, body and all.

"EWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEW"

Ruby shook the corpse off her weapon. The burning Rose ignited in anger, the flames quickly eating away at the residue left on its blade.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a nice cleaning!"

The blade puffed in irritation.

"….what if Jaune did it?"

The blade roared in satisfaction with a plume of flame.

"Oh come on!" cried Ruby "what will it take" she whimpered.

Blake actually began to chuckle at the sight.

"I can't believe I'm laughing at something this absurd" she muttered.

Yang just snickered as she shook her head.

"Tell me about it."

Some groaning echoed through the incredibly vast greeting room. A set of stairs lied in the center of the room, leading to a higher floor, while a door behind the stairs, and two at either side led to even further recesses of the mansion.

"This place is massive" muttered Nora "I mean don't get me wrong I love it, but will we even need this much space? Seems overkill to me."

"We could break it down" said Ren "simply make a better guild house for our needs?"

Weiss sighed.

"I wish it would be that easy. This…place reeks of magic. The energy is seeping from every possible surface in this room…its almost nauseating."

"Its not pleasant is it?" asked Pyrrha "I've been told that without magic resistance it can become difficult to weather areas with large amounts of mana. I've always wondered if that was a reason behind the ranking system."

Weiss sighed again.

"I don't even want to think what this place was like even a decade ago…thankfully we all seem to be able to weather it. With this much magic I have little doubt that destroying the building will be more trouble than it's worth."

Ruby seemed a tad sick, but it was something akin to light air sickness. A feeling and nothing more. More an annoyance.

Jaune however felt fine. Almost…too fine.

"_Is this the power of the Spellcaster's blessing?"_ thought Jaune.

**No. This is due to inherited skill ? ? Rank C**

Jaune blinked at the lack of Alarm, but realized that was simply answering his question...and there may have also been Jaune's own thoughts on the constant annoyance the alarm's ringing kept bringing.

"_Can you tell me the skill?"_ asked Jaune.

**Analyzing Parameters….54% has been analyzed and decoded. **

**The Player now has the ability to access inherited skills.**

**Accessing inherited skills. Displaying all possible skills.**

**Sword Art**

**? Art (Locked)**

**? Art (Locked) **

**Structural Grasping **

**Magic Resistance**

**? ? (Locked)**

"_Wait I have magic resistance_!?" thought Jaune.

**ALARM!**

**Would the player like to access the Magic Resistance skill?**

"…_.really?"_ thought Jaune.

Magic Resistance Rank C:

The Magic resistance skill is a reflection of the Player's own power. Magic resistance is a skill that enhances a player's ability to withstand the power known as magic and the mana that makes up said magic. The current rank of the player and their power affect the power of Magic resistance. Current Player rank is C.

Effects: The Player is immune to all C rank debuff magic. All C rank magic is reduced by 32% when inflicted on the player.

"….well damn" muttered Jaune.

"Did you say something?" asked Ren.

"Oh nothing just…letting this sink in."

Ren nodded, understanding where Jaune was coming from.

"…_.How did I get this skill?"_ thought Jaune _"I'm just a labor caste?"_

**Player has inherited this skill from ARTURIA PENDRAGON: PARAGON. This skill was activated at birth due to being subjected to ARTURIA PENDRAGON'S immense mana for their entire conception and birth. This skill is what allowed the player to withstand the environment of A rank dungeons albiet with extreme nausea and the occasional vomiting. **

"_Interesting"_ thought Jaune.

"Alright I'm ready to head out" said Blake "I'm going to scout the area and see what we're dealing with exactly."

With that, Blake's entire clothing scheme became black and she merged with the shadows. Jaune grew a little intrigued as he watched her sink into the shadows. She wasn't with it, but more like the shadows around her covered her completely, giving the illusion that nothing was there.

"Ruby, perhaps you can scout ahead for the west doors?" asked Pyrrha "with your speed, you can simply rush and out without concern."

Yang seemed uncomfortable with the idea, but kept her mouth shut. Ruby's speed was really that ridiculous, not to mention that her baby sister…was no longer a baby.

"Weiss, do you have any form of reconnaissance yourself?"

Weiss nodded.

"I have Mana pulse, but that will simply tell me a rough number rather than any specifics if that works."

"That's excellent thank you" smiled Pyrrha.

Nora simply began cleaning the bits of wood and debris that littered the floor. She seemed to inspect everything she picked up.

"…not all of these eroded" she mentioned "some of them were broken off…with a lot of impact."

She chucked a piece of broken wood and Ren, the calm man inspecting the splintered item.

"Seems we're not the only ones who have attempted to…raid this place" said Ren.

"I highly doubt we were. This building has been around for fifty years" said Weiss. Her eyes glowed blue as a slow blue ring began to echo through the floor.

"I'm shocked no one just decided to say screw and blow the whole place up" mentioned Nora.

"….I can't believe I'm saying this" muttered Ren "but I concur…there's more to this than we know…I don't like it."

"Neither do I" said Jaune "but like it or not we made a choice as a guild here. We want to stay together and so far this is literally our only option. We could wait but I'd rather not end up surprised when the other guilds blocked access to this place…seems like something they'd do."

Ren grumbled.

"Perhaps" he admitted "still this isn't good."

"No it's not" grumbled Weiss, who swallowed heavily.

Ruby rushed in from the west doors, while Blake landed from the ceiling.

"Good news" said Blake "the zombies are like we expected".

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Zombies were some of the weakest monster one could find in the limitless dungeons.  
"Bad news?" asked Pyrrha, having heard Blake's tone.

"There is a lot of these things" muttered Weiss.

"Tell me about it" pouted Ruby "First room I ran into was swarming with them! I've never seen so many monsters before…not to mention they stink".

Ruby shuddered, unable to forget the scent of decaying Flesh.

Blake nodded.

"There is quite a few but that's not the issue".

Blake held up one of her throwing knives, this one covered in the remains of a zombie.

"I killed one on my way out, ripping the knife from its head clean out. It fell dead, dispersing into white mist like they usually do. But instead of dispersing the mist just reassemble it."

"…Well that's not good" muttered Jaune "I've never heard of a Zombie that repaired itself after."

"That's the thing" said Blake "it didn't. The Zombie died and a new one took its place. The one I killed seemed female in shape. The new one looked male and was missing an arm."

"…something is going on here obviously" said Weiss "the zombies themselves are weak, however they are almost instantly replaced by another. Something is spawning them and if we want this house we have to stop it…we are extremely lucky though."

A zombie sauntered into the man room, having follow Ruby. Before anyone could say a thing, Weiss tapped her staff on the floor, a sheet of ice racing to hit the Zombie. When it did the entire corpse was frozen in an instance, its body lacking the resistance required to stop Weiss's freeze.

"I can freeze the entire room of zombies, but a spell that big takes time. It would be easier just to freeze each one individually but I don't have the mana to do that. I'll need each of you to protect me as a work through each room."

"Wait won't we get hit?" asked Ruby.

Weiss smiled as she looked at Jaune.

"We have our own personal heater, don't we? When the spell is ready simply go to Jaune and he'll keep the ice from coming to you. Can you do that?" asked Weiss.

Jaune nodded.

"Definitely. So long as they're behind me the flames won't hurt them."

Weiss smiled.

"Good. Lets clear the bottom floors first and make our way up."

"I think we should go up first" explained Pyrrha "after investigating each room we can block off each entrance as we make our way down, just incase your ice melts."

Weiss nodded.

"I second that" said Ren, drawing his sword.

"Same" said Nora.

"I think its better if we cleared the bottom floors first myself" said Blake "but honestly I just want to get this over with. The less time we waste on this the more time we can spend figure out alternatives if this fails."

Ruby smiled. She liked this, this whole atmosphere. The agreeable guild mates, a new weapon, at this moment she was having the time of her life thus far. So she agreed with either plan, not really caring how it played out.

Jaune was a different story however.

"So, if we clear the upper floor" said Jaune "I think we should barricade every door. If the ice even has the possibility of melting I'd rather not bother clearing the upper floor again. Besides if we do manage this, we're going to remodel the place anyway."

Pyrrha shrugged.

"Alright alright alright!" said Yang "let's get moving. The less time I have to spend around corpses the better!"

The group made sure their little camp was secure. They locked and blocked each door of the main floor and thus began their ascent up. The first set of doors directly across from the stairs was admittedly lack luster. It was a thick hallway filled with doors on either side. The doors were spread far from each other, giving the idea that each room was quite large. The first and second room were not filled with any zombies. But the broken furniture made it obvious that these rooms were bedrooms in some fashion. It was kind of boring at first that nothing was there. They were here to fight after all. However the third room was….

Well empty. Along with the fourth and the fifth. There was eight doors on either side of the hallway and all of them were empty. However, the sound of shuffling feet was a dead give away that the room at the furthest end of the hallway was filled with undead.

"Did you investigate this room?" asked Weiss.

Blake shook her head.

"This whole hallway was filled with them…I think" Blake briefly touched the large double doors made of oak. Suddenly a bunch of childish runes filtered through. To the others the runes seemed well put together, but Jaune's **Rune Sight** informed him that the runes were sloppy and grossly underused. The runes felt as if they were slapped on the door. The individual knew what the runes did, but had no idea how to structure them. Like a child that knew that the letters R E and D spelled red but had no idea which order.

"Magic" muttered Blake.

"Frost" muttered Jaune "resistance. Empower…no not empower this word is incomplete so it doesn't work…still whatever made this door knew Weiss's plan."

"So its not just the undead we're dealing with here is it?" asked Nora.

"It would seem that wasn't the case."

Yang smirked.

"They made the wrong move in this case. Jaune, how much fire can you make?"

Jaune shrugged.

"No clue. Never actually tested it yet."

Yang's smirk grew even more. A grin that was savage as Jaune's own covered her face, the irony lost on her.

"What would you say to doing a field test."

Jaune's grin matched her own, giving the two a rather…unpleasant aura. Jaune's right arm began to smolder with embers. The clothe on said arm turned to ash at the flame's touch making Jaune grimace. The shirt was the last one he had damnit.

Even outside of the dungeons his damn clothing wasn't safe.

"I'm going to breach."

"Breach?"

Yang smiled.

"My semblance lets me add an explosive payload to any attack I make. Once I hit this door, it will go flying and you burst in."

Yang quickly gestured for everyone to go to either side of the hallway, with Yang hugging the wall beside the door. She rested the side of her fist against the door and looked at Jaune. Jaune aimed both his hands and nodded his head back, gesturing for Yang to get behind him when he goes to attack.

Well…that was the plan at least. The fact they've only known each other for a few days led to a rather awkward game of charade. Yang kept getting confused and used hand gestures to try and signify what SHE meant, while Jaune did the same. Finally Ruby butted.

"No! No more!" cried Ruby "Jaune's saying get behind him after you bust the door!"

Yang and Jaune shared an equal look of understanding and gave each other the thumbs up. Ruby looked like she wanted to cry as she realize that there was TWO of her sister in this world.

God help us all.

Yang's eyes glowed azure as her fist caused the air around it to shimmer. She hit the door with all her strength causing a massive explosion the hurtled the doors into the rooms. Her passive circumvented the laws of physics, ensuring the force of the explosion was rendered to the entire surface of the door and didn't reverberate out to her guild mates.

She jumped behind Jaune as the young man finally let loose with his semblance. The torrent of flame was hot enough that the group felt it even behind him. The screech of countless zombies echoed through the hall as the scent of burning flesh entered their space. The walls and furniture of the house shimmered with countless runes as they withstood his flames. The zombies however did not for they had turned to ash, too weak to handle anything. But a black blur raced through the flames intent on catching Jaune by surprise with its elemental resistance. Imagine this things surprise as the flames got HOTTER, in response.

The closer it got to Jaune the more powerful his flames became. The thing finally gave up trying to attack Jaune through his fire and simply used magic to teleport behind him. Too bad it wasn't paying attention to Weiss. Before it could blink, several spears of ice pierced it through its body. Frost began to spread across the things body, before it froze solid. Weiss had been preparing mana the entire walk up, ready to freeze the room if necessary. Instead that was used to power a new skill simply known as Cryo Prison. A powerful skill that attacked and restrained the enemy, but cost immense mana and preparation time. How the young mage was able to circumvent the casting time was a mystery only known to Weiss.

This fact was overlooked however as the group took a look at the thing before them.

"Is that a?"

"Yup."

"….oh ew" muttered Yang.

Jaune inspected the creature trapped in the crystal like ice.

INSPECT!

**Degraded Lich (Rank C-): **

**A lich is a corpse filled with magic and intelligence with the ability to summon and control its lesser brethren. Ordinarily a Lich would be a powerful monster, capable of endlessly raising minor zombies that it can empower and resurrect. Due to its essence being trapped within this guild house for fifty years, unable to replenish its connection to the land of shadows, this particular lich has lost most of its power, becoming nothing more than a monster that barely qualifies for a C ranking. These monsters are highly resistant to physical attack and are usually susceptible to ice and fire. However, due to the age this creature has lived it has developed an unusual resistance to fire.**

**Status: Frozen**

"A damn lich, I heard about these guys" muttered Yang "thought it be…grosser if that makes any sense?"

Sure enough it did. The creature before them was nothing like the legends. It was made entirely of shadow. It was distinctly human in shape and the motion of the shadows it was comprised of made it seem like it was covered in robes and a hood. Only two red circles that cautioned like eyes were any indication that it wasn't just a lump of darkness. Its hands however, were white as bone and sharpened too, with only the hands being physical in anyway.

"Seems…too easy" muttered Blake "I've heard Lichs, even the minor ones, were ordinarily B rank threats."

"From what I can tell its been weakened" said Jaune "it seems to derive its power from something called the land of shadows…did it grow weaker because it couldn't go home?"

Everyone stared at Jaune.

"What?" he asked.

"All I got was Lich, rank, and a tad bit of info for its body or something."

"I've heard of this" said Weiss "Sometimes a reawakened hunter will be reborn with a stronger variation of Inspect. Never thought it would reveal that much information though."

Jaune hmmed in response.

"Wasn't expecting that" he admitted "I thought everyone got something like that every time they inspected something."

"Uh yea no. Would've made my life easier" admitted Nora "I'd know what wasn't poisonous!"

"Don't ask" said Ren "it's a long story."

With that said Ren took his sword and sliced the ice-covered lich in half. The lich's body began to slowly decay. The corpses that had just resurrected and began moving their way to the group, however slowly, instantly began to break apart into black dust, no white mist in sight.

"So, the zombies are summoned by the Lich" muttered Jaune.

"That is half the answer yes."

All of them turned to see the unusual summon before them once again.

"Hello again!"

Nora's jaw dropped.

"Why are you a chick?" she asked.

Maze blinked as they tilted their head.

"Am I? I admit the concept of gender isn't really something that applies to me. This is just a physical shell after all."

Maze smiled as they clasped their hands behind their back. They were still wearing the dress shirt and vest assortment.

"I see you defeated the Lich. Excellent! The last group did not fare so well against it. However, I hope you realize that this was simply a degraded Lich, far weaker than its usual peak."

"We are aware yes" muttered Weiss.

Maze blinked. Suddenly their eyes turned pitch black. It let its gaze filter through the group before landing on Jaune.

"Ahhh I see now. You've seen the Abyss young man…interesting…very interesting. Not many can say they have caught the mistress interests. Usually she drops her entertainment after a few days."

Jaune shrugged. Everyone else just stared at him.

"What?" he asked.

"You…please tell me he's not talking about Salem that Goddess and Mistress of the Abyss."

Jaune nodded.

"Oh gods" muttered Weiss.

Nora shrugged uncaring but the others became a tad uncomfortable.

"Oh don't worry" smiled Maze "my mistress is not anything like the legends you humans spread about. I find it hilarious how you humans barely understand each other yet think yourselves capable of understanding gods."

Maze turned serious as they locked eyes with the group.

"Now onto buisness" said Maze "you are the first group that didn't try to banish me from the premises. For that I thank you. As a reward allow me to tell you that location for the deed you're looking for is in the basement of this house. Its barrier magic has long run out, so grabbing it will be easy enough."

"Barrier magic?" said Ruby "why would a guild put their deed under barrier magic?"

Maze shrugged.

"My master's sister was a paranoid woman. She seemed to be under the delusion that someone taking the deed would suddenly own the home. Ironically that is the case here. It works to your benefit in this case."

Jaune narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms.

"So" he muttered "the basement is what exactly? If it was that easy to grab the thing someone would have done so already."

Maze smiled.

"The basement is home to the ritual that started this whole debacle."

The sigils and runes on Maze's arms glowed and steamed.

"Ah, trying to punish me now?" chuckled Maze "good thing I got rid of physical sensation for this body or I'd be in trouble!"

Jaune stared at the demon blankly.

"Forgive me" smiled Maze "I haven't had intelligent conversation in well over 40 years. Indulge me a little."

"Fine then" said Blake "what's in the basement exactly."  
"Oh a giant horde of zombies that continuously spill forth from the gate that was created to the land of shadows. They'll never die and are instantly replaced much like that Lich you just faced. It took the first team everything they had to seal the basement shut, while sealing three other creatures to the property. You've killed the last of these creatures, as a team eliminated the other two many years back. I believe your headmaster was a part of that team. They did so well too, they only faltered due to an overconfident tank…ah the poor fool."

The sigils on Maze's arms grew even hotter in intensity.

"Oh goodie" smiled Maze "it hasn't tried to destroy my core just yet. It's such a chore to repair that after its been shattered let me tell you."

Blake paled as she looked at the others.

"I'm not exactly suited in large engagements. Jaune and Weiss will have to be the vanguards in this instance."

Jaune nodded.

"Probably. But theres more to this, I just know it."

"_No quest I've gotten from the system has ever been simple. There's always hidden objectives and unknown factors that influence them. If this guild house is a quest then it just means there's more to this than meets the eye"_ he thought.

"In that case" said Pyrrha "what exactly is the problem. You've said it yourself, there is a portal that leads to this…land of shadows. If we wish to keep the house we have to remove that portal."

"Indeed!" said Maze.

"How do we do that?" asked Ruby.

"I can't tell you that."

The sigils on Maze's arms now glowed blue, revealing a set of hidden runes. These were different as they were barely damaged from the passage of time.

"Speech, restrict…and than a bunch of topics I barely understand" said Jaune "but one of the words is portal…and curse…did I just see lightning?"

Jaune stared at Maze.

Maze simply smiled.

"Oh a fetish she didn't want anyone to know about."

"You just told us that!" said Ruby.

"No, I confirmed it. I cannot tell you anything about the portal downstairs."

Maze smiled as Jaune's eyes shone in recognition.

"Can I ask you questions?" said Jaune.

Weiss stared at him.

"What are you….of course!" said Weiss "if we can figure out the limits of this contract we can possibly circumvent them".

Jaune nodded as Maze answered with a sadistic glee.

"Oh of course!" they said "ask all you want."

"Is there any way that we can learn more about the portal or ritual at play here?"

Maze's smile grew sadistic as they shook their head.

"No. There is no human way for me to divulge the information about the immortality ritual the guild of Phantoms attempted."

Yang worded immortality and stared at Weiss in disbelief. Weiss rolled her eyes as she shook her head.

"Not again" she muttered "in Atlas there is always some reckless fool looking for such a thing…it never ends well."

"There's no human way" muttered Jaune "Does that mean there's a demonic way?"

Maze smiled as the runes disappeared. As this was a topic that wasn't enforced by the runes, they disappeared.

"Oh yes there is" said Maze in relief "oh thank your gods and whatever else you mortals foolishly believe in for seeing through all this. The first team was a bunch of faith fanatics. They even tried to kill me! The second team just ignored me, something about automated golems or some such."

"To the topic at hand please" urged Ren.

"Oh of course! Yes there is a way to circumvent the seals that bind me, at least for specific information."

"….what is it" muttered Pyrrha.

She was on guard now. Her eyes sharp as she stared at Maze.

"Oh that's easy" they chuckled "make a deal with me."

Jaune blinked.

"Oh hell no!" yelled Yang "I am not letting you near my damn soul!"

Maze blinked.

"What?" they said "who in the cosmos would want that useless thing? I mean some of the weaker demonic entities snack on them for power, but I'm an Arch demon sweet heart. I have no need for power. Just knowledge. You see I have the ability to access the knowledge of the abyss albiet as my mistress allows it. All secrets lie in the dark and I can access those secrets and divulge them in exchange for information. In this case the deal would be a secret for a secret. The secret of the ritual and how to stop it, in exchange for a secret of yours. After all" smiled Maze "a secret is only a secret when no one else knows it."

Jaune rose an eyebrow. He looked at the uncomfortable expressions on his friends. Each of them trying to figure out what to give or say in response. Jaune smiled.

"I'll give you my secret" he smiled.

He held his hand out. Maze narrowed their eyes as they clasped his hands. Sigils appeared on both their arms, demonic and eldritch in power. Jaune's eyes devoured them greedily. They appeared to fast for him to fully decipher but two were obvious.

Demonic Trait and Bind.

Maze scowled in disgust.

"You arrogant child. I won't accept a secret you were planning to reveal anyw!"

To the others it would seem that Maze went still along with Jaune. To them this hiccup only lasted a second, but to Maze and Jaune? The world suddenly went dark. Jaune couldn't move, but Maze seemed to know where they were.

"**My my"** she smiled **"aren't you greedy. His offer fits your little deal, the principle of the matter is irrelevant. Do not toy with my entertainer MAZE…remember your place." **

Salem's quiet chuckle sent a shiver down Jaune's spine. As the darkness receded Jaune caught sight of a pair of eyes staring at him from the shadows. A whispered sentence echoed in his ears.  
**"Do not disappoint me". **

The chuckle that accompanied it just made Jaune smirk.

Maze swallowed as they stared at Jaune.  
"….what are you?" they demanded.

The darkness began to recede a little. To Maze's shock, Jaune was able to move before the darkness fully went away. Jaune shrugged.

"Apparently her little entertainer. Now do we have a deal?"

"As if I have a choice" they growled.

Jaune rolled his eyes. Maybe they fed on something with secrets and knowledge but this was just annoying. Maze sighed distastefully as they let go of Jaune's hand.

"Reveal your secret child…and then I will give you the information you want."

The runes ignited, binding the two temporarily. Jaune scowled in disgust at it.

"I will not tolerate half-truths and half the story" muttered Maze "I will tell if it's a lie or not."

Jaune narrowed his eyes at them.

"Don't try to play me and we'll be good".

Jaune took a breath. His heart hammered a bit as he spoke.

"My name is Artorias Pendragon, the son of Arturia Pendragon and Shirou Pendragon. I was born to the Paragon of Atlas and a simple black smith and have inherited the name of the Abyss Walker."

The demon went to scoff, its hands already itching to activate the runes for deception…only for the sigils to respond at the truth of his words.

"Interesting" smiled Maze, who was now very interested "tell me more. As I said, no half stories."

Weiss stared at Jaune in shock.

"What?" asked Jaune.

"Artorias…is that really you?"

Jaune blinked.

"Did I know you?"

Weiss smiled as she shook her head.

"No…but I knew you…during the epidemic…nevermind it was so long ago" smiled Weiss.

Her smile slowly turned into an expression of complete and utter disbelief.

"….now…..WHAT!?"

Jaune felt his ear drums burst from her screaming.

"HOW DID YOU CANGE YOUR NAME! HOW ARE YOU HERE!?"

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole son of Artoria thing" admitted Blake.

"Tell me about it" muttered Yang.

Ruby just stared, trying to say something.

"Who?" asked Nora.

Ren sighed as he rubbed his eyes while the others looked at her like she was insane.

"Artoria Pendragon is considered the most powerful woman on the planet."

"Oh sure" muttered Nora "like Atlas hasn't said that before."

"She one shotted the black dragon Vortigern, the dragon that escape the S rank dungeon 12 years ago" muttered Ren.

"…oh"

"Yea oh."

"….NICE!" yelled Nora clasping Jaune on the shoulder "sucks she kicked ya to the curb! Those nobles…eh?"

Jaune glared at Nora.

"She didn't abandon me. She…my grandfather has her bound to a Giess that keeps her in Atlas and away from me and dad. She cannot talk to us, she cannot interact with, hell she can't even use proxy's. Before the Giess took hold she told me and dad to make our way to Duchy of Arc

"Why there?" asked Ruby.

"She owns it. The king of Vale gave it to her when she stopped Vortigern's rampage."

Ruby's blinked.

"Oh."

"I doubt your mother was restrained by Uther" smiled Maze whose eyes were now black, reading the events that happened with Jaune.

"She wasn't…I was" whispered Jaune.

The shame of being so weak and helpless welled up within him. Pyrrha frowned at his expression…her hand raised to try and help him but she thought better of it. There was time for that later.

"Say it" demanded Maze "say it if you want the information."

Suddenly Jaune could see why Maze was a demon. It's crazed expression was more than enough to tell.

"Uther kidnapped me and held me at knife point. He waited until my mother was sent onto an A rank dungeon and then came over. Dad was busy at the forge so I was with a few servants at the time…they…."

Jaune's eyes closed as he remembered the bleeding wound they gave his older friend.

"…They bribed all the servants but Bedivere they…they cut off his arm and left him for dead at my feet. Uther than grabbed me and held a knife to my throat. Mom couldn't attack him with me threatened like that. He caught wind that mom wanted to retire…said that her retiring was a stupid decision brought on by pathetic NPC's…that if she left Uther would lose almost all influence in the country…that she would ruin the Pendragon name…and that she already stained it with me. He kenw if he killed us she would just obliterate him and everyone he associated with so he offered her a Giess…in exchange for never taking my life or my fathers she would be bound to Uther…she would do as he says…marry who he says…basically be his slave."

Maze scoffed.

"Pathetic fool" they sneered "a Giess is not all powerful."

Jaune smiled.

"That they are not. My mother was far too powerful for the Giess to fully take effect. She was able to alter and change the Giess so that she was only bound to Atlas…but when it returned to Uther he was able to add on final clause…she would be unable to interact with me or help me in anyway. She would not be allowed to interact or see dad…and Uther branded me with a name stone. The only damn reason I know all of this is because Uther went on a raving rant about it. He couldn't kill me…but he went ballistic on me for a bit after the signing finished."

Jaune gripped his chest in remembrance of the pain. The man beat on him for a while before Lancelot showed up. Sadly, the Giess soul bonded Uther and Arturia. Her knights couldn't kill Uther without ending the life of their beloved leader.

"He stripped me of my name and casted me off to Vale. Thankfully a Paladin named Lancelot, my mother's right-hand man, and his wife Guinevere escorted me to Vale and renamed me Jaune."

"What kind of a sick fuck brands a child with that kind of fate."

Everyone turned to Pyrrha in shock. The young woman blushed in embarrassment.

"SORRY!" she said "just…being nameless is one of the worst punishments a kingdom can enforce."

"Interesting" muttered Maze "to think there was an artifact like this in the world….very well" said Maze "I'll tell you everything I can about the ritual and as an added bonus for my…impetuous behavior, I will also reveal how you can easily stop it unlike the other teams. Due to you revealing both your secret and a new piece of information I can do that much at least."

Maze gestured for the group to follow him as they went down the stairs.

"Now" said Maze "to keep things short. The ritual in question was a combination of skills that were invoked from a caster, sorceress, summoner, and enchanter classes. My master, Samora, was an unwilling participant in this case, but she was the one whose spell allowed the portal to open. Ordinarily you humans can only open portals to other worlds for brief moments. It's how the summoning spells work after all. But through the Caster, Sorceress, and Enchanter classes, they were able to keep it open…with a Catalyst."

Suddenly from Maze's left hand a red image showed up. It was a small spear that was blood red in color and had many runes running along its shaft. All in all the weapon looked pretty ordinary, if unusual for its red color scheme. But, Jaune noticed that the spear head itself had small barbs.

"This is Gae Bolg."

Jaune instantly recognized the name, for Gae was a part of Derg's name, the spirit of the tree that helped him create Ruby's weapon. Not to mention the red wood was eerily similar as well.

"_Were they made from the same tree_?" thought Jaune.

"This is a weapon that was forged by the Warden of the land of shadows. She's a terrifying combatant and rune master and ensures that the land of shadows functions as it should. Samora was threatened by her sister, the Sorceress Marina, to use my abilities to steal this spear and use it as a catalyst. I was then bound by Marina and her compatriots when I returned. There are three methods to closing the portal. The first is suicidal as it includes simply forcing it shut."

Weiss immediately shivered.

"If…if that's true the resulting explosion would destroy everything around us. Mages have been researching for years how to forcibly shut a dungeon…they never end well."

"Indeed" said Maze "hence we're not using it, now your second option."

"Wasn't this supposed to be quick?" asked Nora.

Maze gave her the stink eye.

"I haven't spoken to anyone in well over forty years and while I find your company less than optimal, I am enjoying nonetheless. Now, please let me speak or I will simply STOP speaking."

Nora went to do another quip but Ren stopped her and shook his head.

"Continue" he asked.

"Gladly. Now the second option would just be to destroy the ritual circle in the room. It's the physical anchor for the skills keeping the gate open. It would ordinarily be indestructible but the ravages of time have left it quite destructible. It would take a few hours of fighting off the limitless forces of Dun Scath, exceedingly difficult but doable…but you have him."

Jaune blinked as he pointed at himself.

"Yes you" chuckled Maze "you are a Runewright, an individual with an affinity for runes. You can read and utilize them correct?"

"Uh…yes?"

"Then that means you alone can handle Gae Bolg. I hope you are aware of class restricted weapons?"

They all nodded, each of them glancing at Ruby's scythe.

"This is a similar principle. The spear was made with runes in mind. It is infused with them and is empowered by them. As such the restriction to the spear is that one must be able to use runes to equip it. As a demonic entity I myself qualify but alas".

The runes shone brightly on Maze's arms.

"But, you humans have never had a true runewright before hence why no one else has bothered to try and grab the spear. The second team's tank, a young man named Haze, attempted to take the spear…it killed him in under a second."

Maze smiled.

"Enough history, with your friend here…all you need to do is remove the spear. Without the Catalyst the spell circle cannot locate the land of shadows and without being able to complete its function, the spell will simply fade away…in theory" muttered Maze.

Jaune swallowed as he looked at his hands.

"Is it really that simple?" asked Jaune.

"_Maze is still hiding something"_ he thought _"Dun Scaith? Is that the actual name of the land of shadows?"_

Regardless Jaune didn't need to hear anymore. Whatever Maze was doing, he wouldn't stand around for it to occur.

"Let's go" said Jaune "no more time to waste. If all we have to do is remove a spear than lets get to it."

"Someone is eager" smiled Maze "good. The second that spell circle is gone so am I. Oh how grand it would be for me to finally arrive home."

Maze hugged themselves, revealing their impressive bust. Ren rolled his eyes making Nora smile. Jaune simply rose an eyebrow, wondering why one earth they were doin that.

Maze frowned and pouted.

"Oh come now that always worked. I wanted to see you both rocket off from a bloody nose."

Jaune blinked.

"….Welp I'm done" he muttered.

Pyrrha chuckled.

"Ah here we are" smiled Maze.

The door before them was a simple one. A single door that was oak in make...

Oh and covered in complex runes and bloody hand prints.

"…Can I leave?" asked Yang.

"No" said the group.

Pyrrha gripped the door handle and twisted the door open. The wave of pure energy and malice almost brought all of them to their knees…Ruby however seemed entirely unaffected.

"Ah the benefits of a Reaper" muttered Maze "spirits are your natural prey. As such any spiritual attack will be rendered ineffective to you, but in return you are highly vulnerable to physical attack. How sad."

"You know my class!" yelled Ruby.

Maze smiled, their eyes growing hungry at another possible deal.

"Oh indeed I do. Quite a lot."

"Yea no" said Yang "not happening. We'll figure it out on our own now goodbye."

With that Yang grabbed her sister away from the Archdemon and made everyone follow her down the rather steep and narrow stairway.

"Damnit it could this get any creepier!?" demanded Yang.

Maze chuckled as they slowly closed the door behind them.

"Goood luuck" they sang.

When the door had closed the entire group was subjected to darkness…at least only for a moment. Jaune lifted his arm and ignited his passive. The hallway glowed in a strong light, but only for a few feet in front of them. Yang just shivered as she took point.

"Oh, this guild house better be worth it."

Yang swallowed as she struggle to find words.

"soo" she said "uh…yur mom's famous! Uh…how is that?"

"What do you mean?" asked Jaune.

"I mean people must have flocked over to you and annoyed the crap out of you."

"Not really" said Jaune "I kept it to myself. Not like anyone would have believed us anyway."

"Oh true" chuckled Yang awkwardly "so…that Maze thing seemed pretty pissed at first. Said something about not wanting a secret you planned to reveal…you were actually going to tell us this?"

Jaune smiled.

"Of course. It's not like there was any reason not to, not to mention you'd all have to know anyway. I plan to get to Atlas and free my mother from her Giess. Can't exactly disappear on you, now can I?"

"You're going to break her Giess?" muttered Weiss "but that's…what's your plan. I assume you have one?"

Jaune scowled.

"I have the workings of one" he admitted.

Jaune picked up a rusty dagger that was embedded in the wall to his left. Jaune gripped it tight and activated his DISMANTLE skill. The dagger had blue lines glow around it, before it suddenly exploded into blue motes.

"Right now, this skill is weak" admitted Jaune "but there's a lot of potential for it. I'm hoping that if I level it up enough it will let me destroy a Giess."

Weiss smiled.

"That…I've never seen a skill that can destroy something like that…it was like your magic took it apart piece by piece."

"Do you think it has merit?" asked Jaune.

Weiss nodded.

"Definitely. A Giess is immune to any form of damage from the outside. It cannot burn, freeze, or be torn apart. But if that skill can destroy it from the inside? As far as I'm aware no mage has an internal attack skill that's small enough to do that."

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAARRR.

Jaune sighed.

"Really?" he asked.

Why did he seem so annoyed?

Well that was because a certain blonde woman had jumped behind Jaune and pushed him forward.

"I'm not the one who has a built in flame thrower! Besides I'm handling the ones in the back!"

"Wait what?"

Jaune turned his head and sure enough coming from the walls were…zombies?

"What the actual hell?" muttered Jaune "I thought we were fighting zombies?"

Yang grinned as she slammed her fists together.

"Oh these I can fight!"

She threw her fist out, slamming it home into one of the black creature's face. They were shaped like genderless humans. They were all the same. Their bodies were comprised entirely of bone. Their heads were smooth with small spikes on the back. There was no holes for their mouths or eyes. They lacked hands and instead only had hardened spikes.

Yang's first blow destroyed the head of one of them, spilling a black mist from the injury. She kept her back to Weiss, protecting her as the woman began to collect mana. Pyrrha was even further than Yang, using hand to hand combat to handle a few of them. She weaved past their attacks, the hallway too narrow to effectively use her weapons. Her sword was buried in the skull of one of the attackers, peircing it into the wall. Her shield was gone into her inventory. With a quick spin movement, Pyrrha grabbed one of the white beasts head and snapped with a quick jerk.

"These are weak" admitted Pyrrha "but their bodies are quite sturdy, it would be best to leave this hallway."

"Oh I don't know I kind of like its atmosphere" smiled Nora "really of course we're going to leave the damn hallway!"

Nora roared with a smile as she barreled past Jaune, taking the numerous creatures with her and clearing the way for the hallway. She seemed to grow in strength as the creatures tried to stab her in the back. Their bladed arms were unable to pierce through her skin, her aura protecting her for a time. However, such a thing wouldn't last forever as many dead hunters would obviously prove.

Knives quickly found their home in the creatures skulls. Blake hopped on Nora's back, impossibly agile for her size. Nora blinked as she barely felt Blake's weight as Blake quickly stabbed the remaining creatures.

Jaune took this time to break through the hallway and scan the remains of one of the white creatures.

**INSPECT**

**Calcified Wraith (Rank C):**

**A wraith born from the land of shadows. Ordinarily a wraith is a being born from immense negative emotions coiled around a soul. They have lingering anger and hatred from life that mutates their soul into a twisted version of themselves. In short they are normally born from the dead and are incorporeal in nature. The Calcified Wraith is a unique existence of the land of shadows. They are the lingering dead brought forth from the shadows. The mana that makes up their form hardened and calcified into the white form the Player currently sees. Due to this they are ordinarily powerful creatures that stalk the plains of Dun Scaith. However, these particular wraiths are removed from the source of their power, their home, and as such suffer extreme reduction in rank, dropping from A to C. Even so they retain the abilities of their incorporeal cousins and can phase through solid matter. Due to the reductions of rank they are incapable of phasing through physical attacks or resisting magic.**

**Status: Deader than dead**

Jaune swallowed heavily. If what he read was true…than the people in the past had to fight these things at full power…and that meant everything around him was originally so powerful that they shouldn't have even been able to breath, much less fight.

"Shit there's a lot of these things" muttered Nora.

"My knives pierced their hide but they won't stay dead for long…not to mention my knives won't be able to handle their strong hides for much more…we need a strategy."

Sure enough, black smoke began to fill the wounds and make them twitch. Before one of the could stand however, a shard of white ice pierced its chest. The ice began to spread and freeze the creature in place.

"Oh…never mind" smiled Blake.

Weiss scoffed as she blew a strand of hair from her face.

"Leave it to me. For now we should worry about breaching through this horde. They have yet to notice us."

Jaune blinked and sighed. The basement was utterly massive. It looked like an abandoned warehouse to the young man, massive in size. However, it made it rather easy to notice the swirling purple portal at the right corner of the room. In the middle was a large circle that was spinning away. It was obvious that it was the spell circle…mostly because the white army that was guarding it was shifting away around it. Their shambled walk just made them seem creepier. From Jaune's quick count he noticed there seemed to be at least sixty of them.

"Who on Remnant needs a basement this friggen big" growled Nora.

"Obviously they must been hiding more than just an asinine ritual for immortality."

Weiss sighed as she rubbed her head.

"Sorry…it's mages like them who give Atlas a bad name…even if it is rightly deserved."

Blake patted Weiss on the back making the girl smile slightly.

"Focus on the now" muttered Blake "there's too many to hand"

FWOOOSH!

Fire, fire so hot it made their throats parched billowed out in front of them. Jaune shot forth like a rocket, smashing right into the center the swarm. The screeching that followed sounded like it came from bugs. The chittering an annoying but satisfying sound for what it indicated. Ruby was next to move, her scythe urging her forward. The scythe protected her from Jaune's flames. Ruby's blade sliced through one Calcified Wraith. It was a small cut admittedly. Ruby was about to turn and finish it off, only for the wraith's body to crumble into dust.

"Huh?"

She looked around and sure enough her guildmates were handling the rest. Soon the room was empty.

"…"

"…"

"…..Ok I'll say!" yelled Nora "this was too damn easy!"

Step.

Step.

Step."

"Thank you Nora, truly thank you" muttered Ren "you officially jinxed us."

From the purple portal walked a knight. Its armor as black as knight, red smoke billowing from the openings. Jaune blinked as his eyes scanned the knight.

**INSPECT**

**Knight of the Abyss Kevin (Rank B)**

**A squire that was once in service to the legendary Abyss Walker Artorias. In the past the land of shadows capital Dun Scaith was not as closed off as it was in this modern day. The Abyss Walker, for reasons of his own, sought out the land of shadows. Perhaps it was for glory, for honor, for the LOOT! The reasoning is unknown, but the truth is that Artorias did battle with the Warden of Dun Scaith and survived, returning home a legend of impossible stature. However, he returned to face the Warden once again and state unknown intentions. Kevin was a squire in service to his lord and followed him to the ends of Dun Scaith where others did not…and as such he met his end. But his soul was not filled with regret or hate but instead a sense of righteousness and strength that fought and defeated the corruption of the land of shadows. Here he stands once more in service to another lord, intent on protecting both his original home and Dun Scaith. Fear the power of Kevin, the Black Knight….**

**Yes that is his name.**

**Class: Knight**

**Level: Unknown**

Jaune inspected his sword and shield next.

**INSPECT**

**Dark Sword (Rank B): **

**Kevin's original sword, tainted by the land of shadows. It has the ability to withstand great pressure and holds an impossible edge. Normally such a weapon would taint and poison the opponent. However, such tactics are beneath a Knight and spit upon the laws of Chivalry. Through sheer force of will the Black Knight Kevin has subjugated the Dark Sword to his will and restricts such abilities. What powers that brings to bear is unknown. The sword is highly effective against spiritual entities as a result. **

**Conceptual Weapon: The Abyssal Shield (Rank EX)**

**The Abyssal Shield. The Land of Shadows is a force beyond human comprehension. Even the Warden does not know all its secrets. After defeating the corrupting forces of the land of shadows Kevin awoke to the sight of this kite shield attached to his left arm. A conceptual shield that represents the immortal forces of Dun Scaith. All spiritual attacks are rendered useless against its stalwart defense and the shield is able to change shape in accordance to the users will. The shield's strength is a reflection of the wielder's will and as such cannot be qualified by standard rankings. The shield also has the ability to resist magic and absorb kinetic energy. It is the ultimate defense born from Dun Scaith.**

"….What on earth is a conceptual weapon?"

**A conceptual weapo-**

"_Tell me after!"_ thought Jaune _"we're in the middle of this!"_

The Black Knight Kevin simply drew its blade. It than placed the tip on the ground, while clasping both hands on the end of the handle.

"We should all attack at on-"

"No" said Jaune "let me try something."

Jaune drew his own sword and mimicked the stance of Kevin. The knight, however many centuries old it may have been, was still a Knight of Atlas. The Knight seemed to stand straighter at Jaune's actions.

"My name is Artorias Pendragon" said Jaune "me and my guild mates seek to close this portal from your home. We seek no quarrel with you. Please allow us to draw the spear and close this infernal portal."

Kevin tilted his head to the left.

"Jaune I don't think it can understand us" whispered Ruby.

"**I can understand you just fine"** said a breathy voice.

Kevin's voice was impossibly young, around their own age. Ruby's eyes near bugged out of her head while Yang seemed about ready to faint at the sight of a Knight ghost.

"**You seek to close this portal?"** demanded the Knight **"and you say your name is Artorias?"**

"Indeed" said Jaune "I know the name above me states otherwise but-"

"**The name above your head is a fake I am aware"** muttered the Knight **"I do not see as you do, not any longer. Your soul burns like fire, but there is a hint of…ah yes. I see you hail from the Pendragon's…the blood of dragons flows through your veins as strongly as any direct descendent. Artorias would have been proud for his name to be inherited even centuries after his passing, especially for one of your class. However, I cannot simply let you draw the spear." **

"My class?" muttered Jaune "no that's not important. Why won't you let us pass?"

Kevin gave a tired sigh.

"**Your strength isn't enough. The group already took the spear from the Warden. Whose to say such a thing will not happen again? You need not be able to wield the spear to use it as this has demonstrated to you all. The Land of Shadows is closed off for a reason. I cannot allow any chance of this happening again…too many aspiring heroes have already lost their lives to the machinations of mad men." **

The Knight seemed to stand straighter than before, his posture now strong and true.

"**As for your class"** the Knight's tone seemed to take delighted tone "**Artorias would have been happy to see one of your number inherit his name. He firmly believe in Noblesse Oblige, that it was his duty to protect all from harm wherever it may come…while I hope your caste is not as abused as it was in the past…I know the nobles and mages well enough to know that will never be the case."**

"I can wield the spear" asserted Jaune "and my guild and I require this building to stay within Beacon. I'm sorry but we must take the spear."

The Knight took a fighting stance. His shield swirled dangerously as chaotic energy spilled from it, spreading across the floor. The Knight crouched as he pointed their sword at Jaune.

"**Very well…than show me you're strong enough to protect it!" **

Jaune blinked and the Knight was face to face with him.

"_FAST!" _

Before Jaune could speak, Ruby had already attacked, the tip of her scythe hitting home on Kevin's armored shoulder. To Ruby's surprise her Scythe sparked against his armor.

A quick inspect from Jaune revealed it to be an Atlesian set of Elite Knight Armor. But the properties shouldn't have been able to withstand Ruby's strike, from what Jaune saw she seemed to be extra effective against spirits.

"A reaper" whispered Kevin "haven't seen your kind in quite some time. I'm afraid your advantage over spirits does not apply on me, for I am not undead. I am both a living and dead body, your skills will have no effect on me. An good attempt though."

"Then what about this!" roared Yang.

Jaune jumped out of the way, his arms sparking into fire one more time. Before he moved, he had quickly lashed out a kick at Kevin, hitting him right in the chest. The knight bent forward slightly, having felt the blow, while Yang's fist smashed against his helmet, forcing his head a small ways to the right.

"**Good, GOOD"** intoned **Kevin "honor has its place on the battlefield, but this is not a war nor a tourney, all advantages should be used."**

"Thanks for the advice" growled Blake.

Before she could strike Kevin's, shield grew tendrils and gripped the assassin. The girl was flung away, sliding on the ground in a small crouch. She stared at his shield in apprehension.

"**While I do not find the company of assassins to be of any good, I am happy to see you lot are of a far more open mind than I. Next time girl, do not speak before you strike." **

Kevin blocked Pyrrha's strike with his sword, while letting his shield swirl with dark energy. The Kite shield protected him from the ice spears that were flung his way from Wiess.

"**Excellent control"** complimented Kevin **"you wear your colors with pride child of Atlas, but you lack confidence. Your mana has barely dipped, do not be afraid to use your stronger spells when they are allowed." **

Kevin's helmet turned to Pyrrha, and the two began an avid duel of swordplay. Numerous parrys and strikes echoed through the room. Jaune sent small torrents at Kevin's back, only for his shield to flow from his arms and onto his back. Kevin switched to a two-handed style almost seamlessly. Suddenly the Knight rolled out of the way as Ren tried to strike him from behind.

"**You both have excellent skill for your age, your hard work and training shows. But again, you share similar problems, you hold your skills too much in reserve. Do not be afraid to use your skills as often as you need, for your martial skills are what keep you alive as they cool down. I'm impressed, you all work well together, albeit sloppily. It reminds me of the day when our Knights roamed the kingdom…tell me boy, does the Covenant of the Wolf still stand against injustice?" **

Jaune threw another torrent of fire, this time with much greater force. Ren and Pyrrha had already moved out of the way, leaving Jaune ample room to conjure immensely powerful fire. The dark knight ran to the left and began to….

Roll?

Indeed the heavily armored knight rolled and rolled again to the right, somehow evading Jaune's torrent of flames like a drunk man falling.

"No" said Jaune in all seriousness **"**Your order stands no more, but it became the bases for the Round Table, a collection of classes that refer to themselves as Knights that protect the Atlas populace."

Jaune couldn't believe that he was talking to a Knight that followed his greatest hero, Artorias the Abyss Walker. It took everything Jaune had not to simply talk away with the Knight. For after all, if Kevin was still alive…did that mean?

"This is not enough" stated Kevin, smashing his sword against Nora's stomach.

The poor berserker was sent flying, but thankfully caught her footing quickly. She had almost smashed into the wall behind her.

Jaune snarled as he got in close, surprising the Knight. He managed to land three blows in quick succession. Two across his chest and one in the helmet.

"**Strong"** stated the Knight **"as a Pendragon should be. But again, this isn't enough. You've yet to show me that you can protect the spear and keep the gate closed."**

"Just take the damn thing then!" yelled Yang.

"She's got a point" grumbled Jaune "if you've appeared now than take the spear."

"**I may seem a being of free will, but I am not. My immortal soul is bound to the land of shadows and so too are my actions to some extent. It is taking everything I have for the residents not to spill forth from the gate. Dun Scaith is not a pleasant land. It wishes to devour and corrupt everything it touches, only the Warden is entirely unaffected. As for myself? Taking the spear is impossible, Dun Scaith will not allow it." **

Sure enough a multitude of speared arms were stabbing their way through the portal, only to seemingly be pushed back in. Kevin however seemed to be relieved about something.

Suddenly a torrent of Ice speared through the ground at Kevin. The Knight's shield, now flowing back to his left arm, protected him for danger but did not prevent the frosty energy from eating away at him. Pyrrha's blade was now glowing red along with her eyes. Ren took a high stance, his sword emitting some steam as his now azure eyes glared at Kevin.

"My apologies" said Ren "but get out of our house."

"Jaune!"

The young man turned around and saw Weiss pointing at a red pole sticking out of the ground.

"**Oh ho"** whispered Kevin.

The knight tried to rush Jaune, but Pyrrha stood in his way. Her now glowing sword smashed into his defenses. While the blade and energy were interrupted by the shield, that did not mean that Kevin could move unimpeded. After all, Ren took that opportunity to attack. Kevin narrowed his eyes as Nora reappeared, her axe biting into Kevin's shoulder deep enough to cut his unusual body. Her axe however, shattered.

Kevin believed himself clear, but was surprised when Nora's eyes glowed azure blue, than orange. Suddenly Ren's strength and speed went up considerably.

"**That is no simple buff spell"** chuckled Kevin **"ahh a Valkyrie, I should have known such fire as yours could only belong to someone of their brood. Well done girl, although the sacrifice of your weapon is never a good thing."**

Nora grinned as she socked him in the face with a rather surprising effective punch. Kevin weaved between Pyrrha and Ren.  
**"Fair enough"** he chuckled.

Jaune was running full force to get to the spear. He arrived rather quickly, but was shocked to see that the white wraiths began to spill put of the gate. Weiss, who was breathing quite hard, slammed her staff into the ground, freezing everything around her. Jaune smiled in thanks and finally gripped the shaft of the spear.

"Now to just-"

KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL. TEARKILLKILLOUTKILLKILLKILLTHEKILLKILLHEARTKILLKILL.

Jaune scowled as the sudden wave of unbelievable bloodlust attempted to swallow him whole. Jaune's eyes glowed crimson as he fought against the weapon. It was intent on killing him, but Jaune simply quelled it. It was like a raging dog, a hound howling for blood. Jaune simply roared in response, slowly removing the spear in question. If it wanted to hunt and kill so damn much,

THAN DO SO ON HIS ORDERS.

"You get to kill me?" asked Jaune "who decided that!"

Jaune's title, Indomitable Will, echoed through him assisted him in crushing the invading malice. The spears demonic energy quickly found itself quelled and tamed. It was weaker than it should have been after all.

Jaune finally roared in victory as he finally tugged the spear free. The room echoed as the spell circle exploded in a shower of mana. Suddenly a gale ripped through the room, causing all the wraiths to be swallowed by a slowly closing gate.

"Phew" muttered Jaune "got it."

"**Indeed you did"** said Kevin **"I was surprised at the judgements you all made. You all lack strength that much is true, but strength can be acquired. It was your judgement I was looking at and you all have eased my worries, thank you."**

"Does this mean the house is ours!" squealed Ruby.

"Yup" chuckled Nora "now find that deed!"

Ruby gave a mock salute and disappeared.

"**Quite fast"** muttered Kevin **"although her speed and power are immense, her lack of defense is worrying. Ah what do the words of an old Knight such as myself matter, well done young heroes. Remember, the spear is a key to the realm of shadows you must protect it. That demon of whoever was able to restrain the portal to this size…if they hadn't…be thankful they succeded. . .SPEAR." **

Jaune nodded as he clenched it.

"**Good"** nodded Kevin **"ah that was a good bout, thank you. A spectacular showing from all of you, now I must bid you adieu, the land of shadows calls me back home once more. The demon has already left this realm, so I'll leave you with one last message, there was a fourth entity who left the Dun Scaith…a powerful shadow lord that seeks something within this realm. I have little doubt they've already been dealt with…but if not than I leave you this warning." **

With that the Dark Knight known as Kevin faded from view, the red essence they dissolved into sliding into the portal.

"Holy crap I'm beat!" said Nora "this whole thing never went like I thought it would. I mean I thought for sure we'd face endless hordes or something!"

"Indeed" agreed Ren "but I'm thankful its over."

Yang fell to her butt and lied on her back.

"I'm taking a power nap. I've just cleared a whole house of undead, dealt with a demon, and apparently fought the remnant of an ancient Knight who wasn't a dick…I say I deserve it."

Pyrrha chuckled as she sat beside Yang.

"Perhaps we all deserve a break. I personally thought we'd have been here for months…but now…now we can relax."

Weiss fell face first into the floor, only to be caught by Ruby who gently lied her down.

"Weiss is out cold!"

"All that magic must have worn her out" muttered Jaune as he took a seat.

"Probably, too tired to care" mumbled Blake, who quickly fell asleep.

"I'll be right back!" smiled Ruby "I'll drop the deed off to Ozpin!"

Ruby disappeared in a gust of wind, leaving everyone to begin dozing off.

"You know what the worst part about all this is" yawned Ren.

"What?"

"That our worries have only just begun. After the other guilds hear about this, I have no doubt they'll attempt something else."

"Just go to sleep" mumbled Nora "I want huggies."

"Huggies?" chuckled Jaune.

Ren soon found himself entrapped with Nora, her arms and legs latching onto Ren like a baby koala.

"I'm a Koala and yur my tree" she mumbled tiredly before her eyes closed.

"Of course I am" grumbled Ren.

The man somehow fell asleep as well, with Jaune dozing off moments later. Ruby would later return to what would be described as the most uncomfortable sleep over ever, for who would want to sleep on the floor?

And Ruby?

She was never happier. There would be lots to do true, but this guild marked the first step into a grand adventure! One that Ruby couldn't went to embark on…but for now?

For now she fell asleep with her sister, dozing away in a sleep that now carried incredible dreams.

**END**

**Found out what happens in chapter 7 as Jaune gains new levels, skills, and a new spear!**

**Hey guys! Thanks again for all the love and support you guys have given me. Rather than a stat page down here I have decided to include a short list of stories and summaries for a future third story and would love for you guys to vote on them. Feel free to leave your choice in the reviews, or wait till tomorrow for a new poll to be available on my profile. For now, the new story ideas!**

**Journey Revised: **

**The Witcher Caste, an ancient order of monster slayers that have been pushed to the brink of extinction, a fact that many of their number could care less about. No new witcher has been made for centuries until a misshap and a dirty Witcher brings forth a new child to their doorstep. Through machinations unknown one Jaune Arc is subjected to a modern trail of grasses, awakening as the newest Witcher to the order…but what of his family? Follow the journey of a Witcher Jaune as he attempts to discover his meaning in the dark world he calls home, and follows the trail of a family that he was torn from years ago, a trail that leads him to the City of Vale, and the darkness that slumbers beneath it.**

**Fate/Counter**

**The Grand Orders was the story of a young man or woman that went out to save the entire history of mankind…this is not that story. Counter Guardian EMIYA had always been a constant unknown presence for the Chaldea Organization. Alaya liked to keep an eye on anything potentially having the ability to wipe out humanity. In a billion universes there was never an issue. But in this one? Well, EMIYA had become the fourth official servant summoned by Chaldea's experiments and his master? His master was one Olga Marie Animusphere. "By the root, whatever did I do to deserve this?". Warning Harem is…actually rather unlikely, possible, but unlikely. Servents thus far planned are Arturia Lancer, Sanzang, Scathach, Sigurd, Brynhilder, and Jack the Ripper. WARNING: the singularities are not simply copied and pasted from the game, events will go differently, in entirely different orders, or new worlds all together happening. Original enemy and temporary ally servant ideas are more than welcome in the event this story is chosen.**

**Fate/WTF**

**EMIYA had walked a lonely broken road with no way out. Even killing his past self to create a paradox wouldn't work…then he woke up in medieval Britain before the Dark ages. No strings attached EMIYA soon found himself embroiled in the complicated politics of ancient Britain and struggled to find a way to save someone he never thought he could. One Arturia Pendragon. Whatever it takes, Britain will not fall…after all "I am the Bone of my Sword" and this sword serves the King…or at least he would if he wasn't too busy cooking for her and avoiding Agravain's constant prodding.**

**The Devil on my shoulder…er I meant Grimoire**

**A black clover what if story! What if after Asta defeated the Knight with his newly acquired grimoire, he went unconscious! In his newly open trance like state, Asta meets the demon within his grimoire…who is not surprisingly bored as fuck. With a demon constantly laughing at his misfortune and teaching Asta the intricacies of Anti Magic, Asta finds himself quickly spiraling into events far beyond his control and meeting a new enemy to boot, the Church of Clover Kingdom and the dick with a set of scales that runs it. Oh why couldn't he have learned ACTUAL magic, his life would have been easier. **

**Endure**

**A My Hero Academia story made in tribute to bleach! Izuku Midoriya was a timid young man. He was soft spoken, cried easily, and couldn't talk to a girl to save his life. When he was younger people made the mistake of thinking he was but a quirkless little boy…that is until his beast of a quirk finally woke up during a bullying gone to far. Ever since than Izuku had been praised for having such a powerful quirk, a fact he felt disgusted by due to the behavior of his once bullies. After all, who wanted a quirk that made them look like a monster? Basically Izuku's quirk is survival. His hollow like regeneration prevents him from ever having lethal wounds and in the event a certain threshold is passed in terms of bodily harm, Izuku's quirk acts to ensure his survival, covering him in a bone like armor. He is a hero that can never die, that looks like the devil…what could All Might ever see in him? (Final Hollow state the Vasto Lorde form of Ichigo).**

**Fate/Shield**

**Fate and Shield Hero! Shirou Emiya would like to believe that he was relatively normal. He was distorted to the point he could actualize a reality marble and had no sense of self preservation whatsoever, but that was beside the point. He thought life was pretty simple. Hunt vampires, avoid a sealing designate, and enjoy time with Sakura and Rin back at home. Normal right?**

**Imagine his surprise when he is suddenly whisked away into another world entirely and is apparently the "Hero of the Sword". Thank god Rin and Sakura were forcibly summoned with him or he would have drowned in the politics in this place. All he wanted to do was save people, who cares if they had animal ears or something, was that really so bad? **

**Apparently…it was. Under ordinary circumstances the hero would be unable to fight against the world effectively…but Shirou Emiya was not an ordinary hero and he would take the world by storm…if Rin and Sakura didn't kill him first…more so Rin than Sakura admittedly. Also why did that spear guy keep calling him "A Living God" for? It was getting really creepy. **


	7. Chapter 7

**ATTENTION! THE LOIN PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED! I REPEAT THE LOIN PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED. ALL LOINS HAVE BEEN FIXED INTO LIONS, thank you for the heads up guys. **

**Now welcome to the seventh chapter of Arcane Craftsman! It's been a fun ride to get to this point but now I must post the results of the poll. Normally you would just look at the results on my profile, but a lot of people have also voted by PM's and reviews so this post includes it!**

**RESULTS: **

**Fate/Shield: 24**

**Journey Revised: 23 Fate/WTF: 23**

**Endure: 17**

**Fate/COUNTER: 15**

**The Devil in my Grimoire: 12**

**The top three belong to Fate/Shield, Journey Revised, and Fate/WTF. Fuck the top three are really close, aren't they? Jeez. **

**Due to how close the top three are, all three will be planned out. So while Fate/Shield is updated with chapters, the other two will be planned in the background, ready to be written when a spot opens up. Sadly, due to their tied nature, I will be making the decision for which one will be released first. Thanks for the love guys. I'll be honest, I'm surprised Journey got so much love. Also why did so many of you PM me for Fate/WTF, were you embarrassed or something XD. Now for future news. **

**First, chapter fixes and updates. Since the release of this chapter I've been typing the first chapter of Fate/Shield. During this time, I will be fixing the mistakes that have been brought to my attention for chapter 5 and 6 and if I get to it, this chapter as well in more detail.**

**Second, the new update schedule is as follows: Arcane Craftsman, Ultimate Weapon, and Fate/Shield. So, once Fate/Shield is updated, I will Update Arcane Craftsman again then Ultimate Weapon. The reason for this roundabout update schedule is that Ultimate Weapon is going on a small break in order to expand on the Universe I've created, as such its update will be delayed for a time.**

**Now, at the end of this chapter will be more information for Fate/Shield. This will include things such as characters (For example, no long stay OC's, not happening XD) and a few plot arcs to give a better idea of how this story will work out. Finally there will also be a FULL Jaune bio at the end. By that I mean this is the latest chapter that will house ALL of Jaune's stats, passives, and skills at the end of the page. This will reoccur every two chapters or so, depending on what happens obviously.**

**NOW! ONTO THE CHAAAPTAAAA!**

**Arcane Craftsman Chapter 7: A Journey begins with the first step.**

When Jaune had fallen asleep with his guild mates he felt satisfied. The fight wasn't as dangerous as they all thought and all ended well. The first step to getting his mother out of Uther's clutches had begun and his place in Beacon secured.

Considering how easily the first step was taken…Jaune had little doubt the rest of the way would be as easy. But as he slept it felt…weird. His vision was filled with darkness, yet he was wide awake. He even felt himself blinking, yet he couldn't move. At first, he thought he was with Salem once again. But that wasn't the case as the darkness receded, showing a realm filled with white sand and dead trees. A large black tower existed in the distance as numerous figures shuffled across the sandy dunes. The sky was just pitch black, no stars and no suns. It felt…dead. A woman suddenly appeared in Jaune's face, her purple hair a striking contrast to her beautiful but stern expression. Her eyes steeled into him, judging him. She wore what had to be the weirdest purple body suit Jaune had ever seen, but to each their own he supposed. He would have yelled out in surprise but…well.

Jaune couldn't speak, he couldn't even move. It was like he had sleep paralysis. In Salem's realm Jaune could move, talk, and interact. But here? Here he had no power whatsoever. But unlike Salem, this woman lacked her overwhelming presence. Her gaze softened as she looked at the left of Jaune then back to him.

"….So you picked up the spear?"

It took Jaune everything to grunt. The woman rose an eyebrow, but smiled. She seemed to look deep within him.

"Interesting, your soul burns like fire yet…runes have made their mark on you?"

She looked up and rose an eyebrow.

"An Arcane Craftsman…but something remains buried. Runes perhaps?".

She flicked her finger, and a single rune burned into Jaune's mind.

The rune of Ice.

Another flick.

A rune that spoke to the wind.

Another flick.

A rune of earth.

The disturbing grin that spread across the woman's face grew.

"Instant recognition and understanding?"

She patted his arms.

"Strong body."

She sniffed his neck.

"The blood of dragons."

She tapped his head with something that looked exactly like Gae Bolg. He felt sick in its presence, but when it tapped his head it felt a hundred times worse. He inspected it, wondering what on earth it was.

**INSPECT: **

**Gae Bolg (Original) Rank: EX**

**The weapon of the warden of Dun Scath, the land of shadows. An otherwordly weapon whose origins cannot be dechiphered, only the Warden Scathach knows the true nature of this spear. While it's unusual nature grants it the EX rank, it is in truth a B+ weapon in terms of utility and A rank in power. She has crafted two other copies of this weapon for "students" that she had taken under her care. As such while they bare the name Gae Bolg their power and functions differ greatly from the original. This spear has tasted the blood of Gods, Demons, and even elementals. This is a weapon that pierces straight to the heart without fail, even reversing cause and effect to do so. It also has a unique secondary attack function when thrown at large groups of enemies.**

**Weapon Skills:**

**GAE BOLG (ANTI-UNIT) (A)**

**ATTACK: GAE BOLG (ANTI-ARMY) (B)**

"**The heart has been pierced, as such the spear must have been thrust". **

**Effects: Cause bleed (B+) with every attack causing 400 damage per second for 4 seconds. Anti-Divine (B) deals an additional 80% damage to "Divine" type enemies. Anti-Demon (B) deals an additional 75% damage against "Demon" type enemies. Anti-Humanoid (A) deals an additional 125% damage to "Humanoid" type enemies. The spear head has the "barbed" property, ripping and tearing flesh when torn out of the enemy causing additional laceration damage (B), this damage can be nullified. Rune Craft (B) increases runic power by 75% when equipped. {Information Blocked}.**

Jaune's head near split from the power of the weapon and the information it wielded. It may have been B rank in utility but the amount of Mana surging through it made Jaune's world spin like any normal A rank. She smiled and nodded. She tapped his head with the spear, causing Jaune to near vomit at the sensation it brought once again. Yet, Jaune survived. The grin that spread across Scathach's face made Jaune swallow in fear.

"You have incredibly potent mana for one so young, already C rank. Although it's not that rare to be fair. The fact you have mana resistance and can analyze my spear without dying is what intrigues me. Excellent, I'll take you on as a student."

…..wait what? Jaune's eyes bugged out of his skull at the absurd declaration. The woman smiled.

"I give my spear only to my students; you have the spear and as such must become my student."

"_I don't think it works that way"_ thought Jaune.

"Cu was one that earned my spear. The other shared you name. So Artorias, do you accept my offer?"

He still couldn't speak. Wait, how did she know his name?

"Ah right"

A snap, and Jaune's power return to his body.

"Oh that wasn't good" muttered Jaune.

Jaune bent over, his hands on his knees as he tried to relax the near overwhelming sick feeling. He felt the warmth of his fire echo through his body, easing his sickness slightly. The combination of mana resistance (C) and his draconic traits was enough for Jaune to live, but that didn't mean he was feeling that well. He felt weak but he knew it was temporary.

"Annnd I'm stuck in another dream dimension great" muttered Jaune.

The woman chuckled.

"Oh that's more the spear than you. It is bonding to you unusually quickly."

Jaune looked to the left and noticed his Gea Bolg, the one he had picked up. It looked near identical to the one Scathach was carrying around, but the amount of runes was noticeably less along the shaft. The head of the spear was also a tad longer and thinner. Red trails of energy were connected to Jaune's arm, flowing over and over into his arm.

**INSPECT: **

**Gae Bolg (Alternative) Rank: B-**

**Forged for a beast of a man who once fended off an army for seven years. Due to the years of abuse being used as a conduit for a spell, the spear has lost most of its power. Damaged but not broken, the bloodlust of its previous user remains strong. With a history dating back several hundred years, this spear has ended the lives of countless men and women. The wood is made from a tree that fed on the corpse of a god. This spear was also infused with a fragment of said god's skull. This is the "Gae Bolg" closest to the original, but lacking all the same. Either way, the nature of its crafting has given this spear potent Anti-Demon properties. Due to the damage this spear has sustained it has lost its Anti-Divine properties. Due to the damage this spear has sustained it has lost its unique attack skills. The "Barbed" spear head has "Worn out", removing the bleed and laceration effects. Information destroyed, impossible to understand lost information, unknown traits permanently lost. **

**Current Effects: Anti-Humanoid (D) deals an additional 8% damage to "Humanoid" enemies . Anti-Demon (C) deals an additional 20% damage to "Demonic" enemies. Anti-Spirit (Can affect incorporeal bodies to a wide range of effect). Some effects have been degraded and others are no longer active. Perhaps repairing the spear can revive these effects?**

**Durability: 124/5,500**

"It likes you" she smiled.

The spear pulsed and behaved oddly. For some reason Jaune had the image of a hurt little puppy, smiling away at a new owner.

"Uh…good boy?"

The red exploded out with the spear flying out into Jaune's hand. It thrummed with power, more so than any weapon save one. His mother's spear. For some reason the entire Knighthood of Atlas's weapons never gave Jaune the sickness that he had. In fact he distinctly remembered them walking around with them in the open.

Scathach smiled as her weapon's overbearing presence disappeared.

"What the?" muttered Jaune.

Scathach rose an eyebrow.

"You do not know how to reign your weapon in? Something else to teach you when you grow strong enough. If I remember distinctly most of your high levelled species are capable of restraining their weapons in public."

Huh…something to ask Oobleck about. Although it wasn't that important it really hit Jaune just how little he knew of the actual laws of his home. There were of course the basics such as don't kill someone, but the rest? The intricate laws built up over time?  
"I'm starting to see why Oobleck has his class" muttered Jaune.

Gae Bolg thrummed in Jaune's hands once again, content in its new master's presence. Jaune smiled at the spear, using reinforcement to repair the spear slightly. Suddenly Gae Bolg started to leak a deadly torrent of red energy. Jaune jumped a bit as the energy seeped into his arms, tying the two together even further. Scathach scowled at the spear as it ignored its maker.

"Hmm, likes you a little too much…my name is Scathach, or at least…I think it is? Regardless, I am the warden of the land of shadows. Thank you for returning the escapees."

Jaune watched as the words above Scathach's head rearranged themselves and became understood. He hadn't noticed at first, probably due to his experience with Salem. Before the woman's name had been…blurry while her class was a bunch of symbols he couldn't understand. Above Scathach's head was her name and her class suddenly became readable. Probably Scathach allowing him to see it in the first place.

**THE WARDEN OF SHADOWS**

Yet when Jaune looked at her he also noticed that her class…flickered for the lack of a better term, switching to

**IMMORTAL GUARDIAN.**

Two classes were bullshit in Jaune's opinion but all things considered anything was possible here. What was more interesting to him at the moment was that Scathach's name was written in purple and read as follows.

**SCATHACH(?)**

What kind of a person had a question mark beside their name? Well no time for mysteries, Jaune got straight back into the conversation.

"Uh…no problem. So what exactly am I doing here?"

Scathach smiled and gestured to herself.

"The spear has brought you here for one reason. To kill me."

"Not gonna happen" muttered Jaune.

"Of course, not" smiled Scathach "you are far too weak for that dear student…for now anyways".

"I never agreed to that" muttered Jaune.

"No, I will train you so that you may finally end me."

"Oh you're ignoring me, that's nice" sighed Jaune.

"I've lived in this world as its master and guardian since my existence. After so long maintaining this land I wish for my torment to end."

Jaune couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She seemed so…disinterested in the topic.

"Um…if I may?"

Not a chance in hell he'll come off as impolite to this beast of a woman. She'd probably kill him for it.

"I actually would too" smiled Scathach "and ask away."

"_OH COME ON!"_ thought Jaune _"STOP READING MY THOUGHTS!"_

"Anyway" he coughed "why do you want to die?"

"I just do."

"…I'm sorry what?"

"It is a desire that has been mine since the day I was born. I have no idea why, but since the moment I awoke I knew many things. I was a fully matured adult, my name, my spear, language, knowledge, the runes, power, yet…I held no true memories. The only thing I held was an intense desire to die. I would connect to people like Cu quite quickly, but he was so far the only one."

Scathach smiled.

"The one that bore your name before you entered here to assist me with dying as well. To finally die…he was the closest to bringing that desire to fruit…he would have killed me to if he hadn't faltered. The idiot doing something I didn't see coming."

"Really and that would be?" asked Jaune.

"The first lesson will focus on the fundamentals. On your stance and knowledge of the spear."

"I guess I'm just doing this now".

Scathach waved her hand and a deluge of runes filled the air. Jaune wondered how she could do that, but absorbed the runes before him. So many that…he actually couldn't read a few of them.

"Ah, so there is a limit to what you can now for now" nodded Scathach "interesting. Your very class filters the runes you learn. Simple one worded runes are your limit for now but the longer sequences that can grant even greater power are beyond you at the moment…oh ho!" she smiled, a small glint to her eyes lighting up "That scythe you made was an inspired creation with what little you truly knew at the time. I'll have to reconsider your limits. So, sequences are not beyond your grasp, but rather must be made by you to truly understand them…such an odd class."

"How do you…you read my mind."

"Of course. If I am to train you I must know you intimately, understand where you are strong and weak."

"…How long with this training take? I can't stay here long just doing what you want."

Scathach chuckled as she shook her head.

"Be careful with that attitude. If you ever see yourself before a god, they will not take kindly to such actions."

Jaune rose an eyebrow. Did she not see Salem in his mind? She didn't react to his thoughts anymore if the confused expression on her face was anything to go by. Suddenly her expression turned serious as something filtered into her mind. His most recent thoughts probably.

"….You have attracted a very dangerous being" scowled Scathach "something even I can't kill. It's hold on you I can see clearly now."

Jaune shrugged.

"I'm good."

"….I don't think you understand the severity of what exactly holds you."

"I honestly don't think you do either" smiled Jaune "Apparently I'm her little entertainer, so whatever happens happens. So long as I can save my mother, I'll handle whatever is thrown at me."

"….You…"

Scathach began to chuckle as she shook her head. Jaune felt a tingle, probably Scathach rummaging through his brain. It was an unpleasant feeling. At least Salem didn't feel this gross.

"You share Cu's stubbornness and Artorias' honor. You will be difficult to train I see that now. Very well let us begin. Our connection is weak so our time is short. I'll do this the quick way. Most tend to die when subjected to this, but you seem strong enough to withstand a synergy."

"A wha-"

Jaune's head proceeded to explode.

The information that was rammed down his skull was unlike anything he'd ever felt. Actually he'd been feeling a lot of things that lately. Suddenly the system alerted him to what was happened.

**ALARM!  
RUNIC SYNERGY HAS BEEN DETECTED! **

**RUNE FILTERED BOND ESTABLISHED. **

**FORCIBLY DOWNLOADING INFORMATION!**

**PLAYER HAS LOST 756 HEALTH!**

…

**PLAYER HAS LOST 200 HEALTH!**

…**..**

**DOWNLOAD…COMPLETE! **

**You have learned basic runes! ALL RUNIC SKILLS HAVE LEVELLED UP!**

**You have learned "Rune Spear Arts!"**

**Parameter unlocked "Spear Arts". **

"**Spear Arts" and "Rune Spear Arts!" are evolutionary skills. Merging occurring. Feeding Spear arts into "Rune Spear Arts". Anomaly detected.**

**Parameters scanned. Mentality scanned. Stats scanned. Titles scanned. Passives Scanned.**

**All qualities present. Basic skills have merged together.**

**The result is the "Runic Spear Arts" (B)**

"**Runic Spear Art" evolution occurring. **

**ERROR! INTERVENTION OCCURING!**

Jaune was sweating as his body felt like it was being invaded by something. Scathach blinked, while the presence known as Salem watched in avid interest.

The Abyss, the concept of darkness itself had arrived. So the boy would be altered-

CRACK!?

The darkness fled as Jaune's soul burned bright. Jaune scowled as he felt that presence in his mind, a seductive whisper. It wasn't evil, nor was it Salem, that Jaune knew. But it wanted to change him, to make him different, to make him bend to its will…to make him theirs. Whatever it wanted, Jaune didn't care. HE WOULD NOT BEND. But that didn't mean he would simply banish the presence. The darkness had been a companion of Jaune's lately, it was through Salem's power that he was reborn, given this second chance. Instead Jaune let it linger, not fully banishing it, showing that he would not reject the darkness. The darkness was his friend, an ally in his fight against Uther. He was not its puppet, nor its champion.

He was its friend.

He would not reject it purely because of what it may or may not have been. It stayed, much to both it and Jaune's surprise. The connection was formed.

**ALARM!**

**You who has risen from the Abyss. You who has walked the Valley of the death. Your will remains undeterred, your soul unchanged. Yet, the Abyss remains connected to you regardless. **

**New title has been earned: **

"**The Abyss Walker" **

**Parameter title uncovered:**

"**Beloved of the Sun"**

**New unique skill has been earned!**

**Prestige skill "SOL SPEAR ARTS" (A) (Lv 1):**

**Effect: Damage with spears +60%.**

"_Sweet"_ thought Jaune in the midst of his pain.

**WARNING USER IS A NON-COMBAT CLASS, REDUCTION IN BONUS (-55%) NEW EFFECTS ARE AS FOLLOWS**

**Effect: Damage with spears +5%. This unique skill comes with a unique tree that can grant you attack skills. How you wield your spear will dictate the direction your attack skills will go.**

**NEW SKILLS ARE EARNABLE, CHECK SYSTEM FOR MORE INFORMATION!**

**New title granted! **

"**Knight of the Sun". **

**New Skills are earnable! Increase your level and learn new skills to discover more.**

**Review of new titles and skills: **

**Title: "Abyss Walker"**

**UNLOCKED/EVOLVED: Skill: "Runic Spear Arts" "Sol Spear Arts"**

**Title Uncovered: "Lion sin of Pride"**

**Title Uncovered: "Beloved of the Sun"**

**Title Unlocked: "Touch of the Gods".**

**Parameters decoded to 90%**

**Check system for more details.**

"Wait touched by what?" asked Jaune, utterly exhausted. Jaune's head felt like it was splitting apart. The information, the new skills, the new titles. Some of them he knew very well thanks to the systems help, but a lot of it was glossed over, something for him to look at later, especially since there was more than what he saw.

"Hmm…it would seem your class boosts crafting and magical abilities immensely…but it comes with a cost."

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"Any passive buffs for weapons you acquire seems to get reduced, not that raw numbers overly matter much, but it is an advantage you won't have that others do. However…your aptitude for physical and magical power is astounding." smiled Scathach.

Jaune shrugged in thanks, not really caring what she thought at the moment. He was however confused on how she knew about the reduction he just received. Maybe she read his mind? He didn't know.  
Scathach smiled.

"A strong body is the best quality in a student I can ask for."

Jaune started to disappear and he sighed in relief.

"When you are stronger" said Scathach "The spear will bring you here and I will train you again. Hopefully next time I can train you the proper way instead of that cheat method."

Jaune sighed in apprehension. Would be nice not to constantly train over and over, but from the information he had forced into his skull he knew the reason why. If one didn't train and become accustomed to the skill naturally, their movements would be clunky and odd. Depending on the skill alone would just get him killed. He also didn't want to come back here.

"Got it" he muttered.

Scathach smiled as she waved goodbye, the sweet smile that promised even worse pain to come. As darkness filled his vision, Jaune felt a sense of peace.

"Oh thank the Gods I'm out of there."

"I HEARD THAT" echoed Scathach.

**-The Guild's Basement-**

"Shit" muttered Jaune as he woke up.

He looked around and noticed that Ozpin was staring at him.

"You're awake?" he whispered.

"Uh…am I not supposed to be?" asked Jaune.

"I'm just surprised. Anyone who touched that spear died instantly. We found you unconscious and I assumed the worst. You all have pushed through the mana of this building and it took its toll on you. Weiss was the first to awaken."

Jaune looked down and noticed that his new spear was cuddling into him, nooked under his arm.

FWOOSH!

Jaune turned around and noticed that Ruby was still sleeping, resting her back on a post. Her scythe however was billowing petal like embers constantly. Anyone could sense the anger in the weapon. Jaune's own spear was slowly leaking out its own crimson energy, taunting the weapon across it.

"It's been doing that since we got here" smiled Ozpin.

Jaune tilted his head.

"We?"

It was true, only Ozpin was visible at the moment. Jaune now had a chance to look around the area. He was shocked at how much room was here, and the fact that there were doors in the basement, alluding to even more rooms. One of said rooms reeked of magic, Jaune's draconic nature giving him a sixth sense of such a thing, unbeknownst to the boy.

"Glynda and Oobleck took Miss Schnee and are taking down the defenses of the guild. Can't have its members constantly under siege by the raw mana now can we." he smiled.

"Is that what it was?"

"Yes. The Phantom Guild was famous for its…rather paranoid defense systems. Everyone in the guild required to have Mana resistance of sufficient strength to live comfortably. Most of it has eroded as you as I'm sure you noticed."

Jaune could tell what Ozpin meant. The small pressure the group had been dealing with the entire time had caused them to become tired far more quickly than they normally would have. Without the portal and the mystical defenses that were inactive but functioning…well the atmosphere in their new guild got a lot more comfortable. The discomfort was part of the reason the group just fell asleep so easily and were currently having a tough time waking up. A quick shot of inspect and Jaune breathed a sigh of relief.

All of them said unconscious but what intrigued Jaune was that a few of his guild mates were developing mana resistance. Must have been a skill that was naturally gained if Jaune had to hazard a guess. Jaune refocused on Ozpin as the man continued talking as he sat on a fallen beam. His cane between his legs as he gestured to Jaune to sit across from him. Jaune was having a hard time paying attention with his headache, but he tried his best.

"With the defenses removed you'll be able to do with the building as you wish. Feel free to contact a few of the mason businesses we have available here at Beacon. Now onto more important matters…your punishment."

"Our what?"

"You honestly think we don't let students know this building is off limits? The signs on the way to the building that states, BANNED, over and over again? There's a reason that most students avoided the place even if there was cheap mana stones to be found here."

Jaune pretended that he didn't ignore those signs. They had all noticed them and the entire guild chose to ignore it. Ozpin was not impressed.

"If it wasn't for the fact that you actually succeeded AND were pushed to this extreme…you'd be expelled."

Jaune swallowed.

"Instead, you'll be having a three month detention, all of yo-"

Ozpin's eyes twitched a bit as he noticed the rest of the guild still sleeping. He had been so focused on Jaune that he had assumed the rest of them had woken up.

"Fine" he sighed "or…you can create another B rank weapon in a week."

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Godfrey" muttered Ozpin "the noble that is in charge of the duchy of Arc is calling for your immediate expulsion. It makes sense, since you yourself are supposed to be in charge of said Duchy. If that becomes public knowledge along with the fact that you are Artoria Pendragon's son…well let us simply say Godfrey has a lot to lose…to much even."

Jaune swallowed.

"You uh…figured that out."

"That you are the son of Arturia Pendragon? Yes, it took some digging but we found out. How you changed your name is still a mystery but I have some ideas."

Ozpin scowled.

"None of them good. But that is for another time, for now you should rest. If you can make a B rank weapon next week to shut Godfrey up, then I will waive all detentions for your entire guild."

"Of course" said Jaune "that shouldn't be a problem…but why next week exactly? Wouldn't you want this as soon as possible?"

"Next week is when Godfrey goes to the King over this matter. The man is delusional but annoying. The King and Queen won't take any action against , however having more recent proof of you crafting a second B rank weapon will nip this in the bud and save me a lot of paper work. The reason I am asking for next week is because we want as many witnesses as we can for your feat."

"My feat?" asked Jaune.

Ozpin nodded.

"The meeting is being held here. Godfrey has quite a bit to answer for but the King and Queen can't afford to let Godfrey sit in the castle with all his supporters. Instead, they allocated to here under the pretense of also meeting with me for a budget meeting…that is also happening" grumbled Ozpin.

"_Oh so that's why"_ thought Jaune _"he probably wants to really sell the need for more money. By using me he thinks he can garner that extra support"._

Ozpin smiled, laughing internally at Jaune's lack of a poker face. The boy probably thought he was using him for the budget increase or something. It was honestly to avoid paper work as much as he could. But he'd let the young man have his delusions. All that mattered was the week of no work that was coming up. The idea of work made Ozpin remember something.

"I almost forgot" he muttered "unfortunately the quests are still depleted for the time being, not to mention that new Gates simply don't appear frequently to raid. We can anticipate when one will open, but that information will always be public knowledge…I'm sorry we can't help you further. However, I will give you the money all new guilds are given to build their base, hopefully it would prove sufficient to repair this place enough to be livable but it is up to you all to come up with the monthly property tax."

"I think we can manage without doing mu-"

CRACK!

A wooden beam the size of Jaune fell beside him. Jaune glared at it and back up the ceiling.  
"Really?"

Ozpin just shook his head with a small smile.

"I think you'll be fine" he smiled "before I go, I do want to say this. Regardless of what the Mercenary and the Merchant guilds may believe Jaune, you are not restricted to them. If you have any further troubles beyond what you have seen thus far, contact me."

As Ozpin walked away, he couldn't help but smile. The forging that Jaune was going to do next week in truth had little to do with Godfrey. At first, Godfrey truly was a concern. This was mainly due to the Arc Duchy being an archipelago of small and medium islands that connected to the main lands of Vale near their eastern seaboard. These numerous small islands contained rare and valuable resources. That translated directly into power for a Noble such as Godfrey, for it gave him the money needed to hire some rather dangerous people.

But as it turned out Godfrey knew next to nothing about any black market or assassination groups. Why?

Because a "Paladin" by the name of Lancelot Du' Loc had single handedly decimated every single criminal organization within the Arc Duchy within the span of two weeks several years ago. It wasn't that Godfrey wouldn't hire assassins.

It was that he couldn't.

In the first week the Paladin had eliminated every single visible speck of illegal activity within the Duchy. The second week he had brought the assistance of a pair of half-brothers from Atlas. The Stern faced "Dark Knight" Agravain and his half-brother the "Knight of the Sun" Gawain to root out the unseen roots. After that…well the destruction that was wrought was of such a nature that even after they left for years the Arch Duchy was never infested with organized crime again.

There was of course the occasional theft and murder, but it was never organized crime. It proved that even a single one of them was arguably a monster in their own right. A monster that was in the service of Atlas. Each a symbol of why Atlas, while mainly being an academic nation catered towards the magic classes, was considered one of the strongest militaries in the world. The Magicians and scholars would say that it was "Atlas Academy" and the work of their illustrious mages. But the people?

The people believed solely in the Knights of the Round Table, led by Arturia Pendragon herself. That it was them that kept the citizens of Atlas safe. Ozpin had learned all of this from a combination of files but discovered Jaune's parentage from Agravain himself. The man had simply walked out of the shadows of his office, glared at him, and demanded to know why he held the "Prince" as he called Jaune, in his school.

After a quick exchange of information, Ozpin learned a great deal, especially about why Atlesian Knights were trespassing into Vale. None of it was good though. Apparently, the situation within Atlas had grown incredibly bleak over the years.

The Knights had become divided. On one end were the "Sentinels" protectors of the mages of Atlas who followed their master's commands. The other was of course the "Round Table", a group of Knights and compatriots dedicated to protecting the masses. Uther's allies were also running amok almost unchecked. It took the knights of the round table all they had to contain the chaos within the walls of Atlas Academy and keep the citizenry and common noble and mage classes safe. The people loved them dearly for it but it had cut into the time the Knights could check in and make sure Jaune was safe.

It had been years since any of them managed to get out of Atlas unseen to check on him. After thanking the Ozpin for taking care of both the boy and his father, Agravain disappeared, leaving Ozpin with one disturbing fact.

Atlas was in the midst of a civil war, contained only by its own military. It was ludicrous, but it was the truth. Ironwood was losing ground. Ozpin hoped that by letting Jaune prove his worth as a mystical breakthrough, it would give Ozpin the opening to send the boy to Atlas and with him a group of "Escorts" that would keep the boy safe on the journey there and back. These escorts would of course be allowed to leave the boy unattended during his stay in Atlas…after all…

The boy was home wasn't he?

There wasn't much Ozpin could do to help Arturia's situation though. As Agravain explained the Giess compelled her to protect Uther from all threats physical and magical, making her an overpowered body guard for the sick man. In other words?

Assassination was impossible.

But upsetting the balance, and removing Uther's political power? That was an entirely different scenario.

"This is a mess" muttered Ozpin as he walked up the stairs. He slowly made his way out of the house, praying that life would go back to normal soon. The poor man couldn't help but chuckle at himself. Normalcy was an illusion after all. As he left he failed to notice the utter horror that spread across Jaune's face.

The young man stared at the blue screen in front of him, shaking in irritation.

**ALARM!**

**Only 34 minutes remain to complete the "Daily Quest Tier 2".**

**New Daily Training requirements: **

**0/85 pushups**

**0/85 situps**

**0/50 crutches**

**0/75 lunges**

**0/100 pullups**

**Possible Rewards for Tier 2: 3 stat points (Medium), One-time Status Recovery Spell (Medium), Good Fortune Box (Cannot gain due to having on in your inventory), Ill-fortune Box (Cannot gain due to having one in your inventory), One-time drop Lightning-based spell (Extremely low), Pass card (Medium). **

**Congratulations!**

**You have completed the quest the quest "Haunted Guild!" **

**You have earned the following rewards: "Guild House" and Medium XP**

**Congratulations! **

**You have completed "From the Shadows it Watches, Step 1**

**You have earned the following rewards: Medium XP to all skill trees (Distributed equally to all skills), Massive XP. (1) Good Fortune Box. (1) Ill-Fortune Box. (1) Store Coupon. Store is now Available!**

**CONGRATULATIONS! **

**You have levelled up!**

**You have levelled up!**

**You have levelled up!**

**You have levelled up!**

**You have levelled up!**

**Jaune (Artorias) Pendragon: Lv. 26**

Jaune blinked as he stared at the options. It would seem that going up to the next tier of daily missions increased the reward. Not only that but he levelled up a stupid amount as well and unlocked the store! The difficulty went up slightly for his daily quest but Jaune wasn't expecting too much of a problem. If he was to go about the ranking of the daily quest by the rank of the punishment zone…than this one would have to be?

"_If the dungeon boss from the punishment zone from last time was E rank…than this has to be D rank if it progresses like that. If it follows the ranking system progression than the difference between E to D is noticeable but small." _Jaune concluded _"I better get started now than. Can't afford to waste time if just to be less awkward, I can check the store later"._

As he started to work out on the pushups Jaune noticed immediately that there was an issue. It was like the world worked against him and all of a sudden.

"_What the!?"_ thought Jaune.

**TIER 2 restrictions have been activated! **

**Stats, skills, and buffs have been restricted for the duration of this work out! In return the drop chance for Status Recovery becomes guaranteed.**

"So the difficulty itself goes up" grunted Jaune "fine then, lets go."

As he worked out, at a slower pace than he was used to, Jaune's thoughts began to wander. While the work out itself was now more difficult, Jaune's Draconic body was more than capable of handling the entire work out in a brief ten minutes. He decided that he was going to push the system and see how many that he could do of each and see what that brought him, if anything. But first…first was all the shit that had gotten shoved down his brain. What Scathach had done was in stupid terms, a mental download. She had shoved into him the basics of her wild style of spearmanship, resulting in the style he knew being...merged with her own. Rather than levelling up spear arts, the resulting information gave way to the requirements for upgrading the skill outright. If that much was true than that meant that skills could be upgraded to better and more powerful forms, each capable of levelling up to achieve even greater power.

"Sword arts…and probably bow arts as well are a couple of the only combat skills I truly have. Can they level up and evolve too? Or do they need certain conditions as well…not to mention titles."

Ah yes, the title system. For a time Jaune had thought it useless. A quirk that gave some cool effects at best…yet what he had learned today told Jaune what little he truly knew. The titles that Jaune had access to did more than give small and helpful effects. They had the ability to open up the opportunity to gather more skills from those outside his class. It was probably due to the title system that Jaune was capable of learning the "Ignition Burst" skill…or perhaps not. And the mastery system? What was that?

**Certain items carry unique attack skills. If the user can master the weapon and create a bond with it, it becomes possible to inherit the skill and use it with other weapons. Be warned, only certain actions can increase the bond between master and weapon and the SYSTEM cannot tell what those actions are. The system can alert you when a bond has been formed however. **

"Well that was helpful" grunted Jaune as he shifted to pushups.

So, skills were learnable, that much Jaune knew. His mother drilled him in combat until he had obtained the "Sword Art", "Spear Art", and "Bow Art" combat buffs. Jaune didn't know how but he had lost access to those skills after his escape from Atlas. Was it because of his mentality? His mental place? The feelings of unworthiness? Honestly it could be neither or all of the above. Either way Jaune planned to gather them back. It would seem that Arcane Craftsman debuffed any physical combat skill once it went past a certain measurement. The "Sol Spear Art" skill that he had evolved to had a major -55% debuff…yet the 60% extra damage was only reduced to 5? Did that mean it reduced it from 100% by over half, or that the reduction was simply -55%.

**The Arcane Craftsman debuff only applies to skills earned with the class equipped. Because "Sword Art" was learned before the Player's classup and was resealed, the skill remains unaffected.**

"What happens if I evolve the skill?" asked Jaune with a grunt.

**The evolved skill will be subjected to the Arcane Craftsman debuff. The Player cannot choose to evolve their skills. All skills develop alongside their user and evolve at their own pace. However, offensive magic does not fall under the Arcane Debuff…or it shouldn't at least.**

"Are you keeping something from me?" asked Jaune, now doing lunges

**Anomaly had been detected since the System Installation. System cannot understand nor classify this anomaly and as such has not brought it up to the player**

"_Could you elaborate on that?" _thought Jaune, having now switched to crunches_. _Lunges were unexpectedly easy.

**The Player is a non-combat class. While magic is learnable, the ability to retain combat art skills such as "Sword Arts" or "Slash" should not be possible with any labor issued class, regardless of level. Why the Player is capable of learning combat skills are unknown. As such the System cannot properly analyze the reason for why something is fighting the combat debuff. As such the System cannot ensure the debuff is permeant nor if it would spread beyond physical skills. There are certain possibilities that exist that can explain this anomaly. List includes: Divine Blood, but unlikely. Sub-class interaction, but unlikely. Interference from divine beings, rather likely due to the player's interaction with the Goddess of the Abyss, Knowledge, and Magic, Salem.**

"_Wait what!?"_ thought Jaune _"explain now! Is something happening to me!?"_

**No. This anomaly is non-threatening nor does it destabilize the Player's existence. It is simply fighting against the debuffs of the Arcane Craftsman class. The amount of power this influence has is currently weak. The power originates from the player and is sustained weakly by the player. This logically concludes a Sub-Class interaction; however, Subclasses cannot be developed until an individual has achieved A rank levels of magical power. Only then can an individual gain a secondary sub class and ascend to A rank fully. This process takes many years even after the individual has obtained the appropriate levels of power. Divine blood is impossible, due to the player's ancestral tree lacking any such ancestor. Salem's interference is the likeliest possibility, but it too remains unlikely. **

"_Why"_ demanded Jaune.

**Because the Goddess is the one who helped create the System. If she wished to alter you in some fashion it would not be detected by the System in the first place. As an admin any such alterations would simply be considered "optimal" and "standard" of the player, rather than something outside the System's understanding.**

Jaune stilled.

"Salem…created the system" he whispered.

**No. Salem's expertise was used to create the system's algorithms and focus its functions, but she herself is not the sole creator of the system. Each deity that is currently worshipped by your species as a whole assisted in the creation of the system. The system existed before the gods and all living things are empowered by the system in some way. The gods as you know them mearly update and evolve the system to what it is currently. Due to this, each god is capable of allowing a "Player" of their choice to access the system in its entirety, rather than just unknowingly use it. **

Jaune swallowed as he began to do his pullups.

"How many has Salem given this access to?"

**NONE.**

"…What?" whispered Jaune.

**Player designated as "Jaune (Artorias) Arc" is the first player chosen by Salem. The unique "INSPECT" variation and the increase of the hidden "LUCK" stat are her unique contributions to her variation of the "SYSTEM". **

"Why would she give it to me?" he asked.

**Because you were interesting. Nothing more. **

Jaune just smiled, reinvigorated. Of course. That was all it was. Well if the weird goddess wanted a show?

Who was he to deny her?

"System" whispered Jaune "show me all the new titles I've earned. Just give me their effects though. Also, what are those learnable skills?"

Jaune desperately wanted to know what was up with hid body, but if the system couldn't figure it out, it was unlikely Jaune would.

**Understood!**

**New titles: **

"_**Abyss Walker" (Active)**_

**Effect: Immunity to "Dark Invasion". Immunity to "Dark" environments. Can see in the dark. It is possible to learn "Abyss" magic. The player can equip weapons and use items that have the "Abyss" trait without any repercussion.**

"_**Knight of the Sun"(Active)**_

**Effect: This title gives a boost to all stats by 10 once activated. This skill allows for the player to learn "Sun" and "Holy" attribute magic. WARNING: due to the Player's affinity and interaction with the Abyss, "Holy" magic is impossible to learn. To use Holy magic requires the complete rejection of its antithesis, Darkness. The Player can equip weapons and use items that have the "Sun" attribute. Warning: The Player takes increased Holy Damage by 15% due to their affinity to "Abyss".**

"_**Beloved of the Sun"(Active) Rank:….EX!?**_

**This title gives a boost to all stats by 10 once activated. This is a title given to all those who have felt the touch of the mother of stars and the keeper of lost souls but the rank is absurd. The answer may lie in the past, in a time when memory is at its most blank.**

**When the Player was born their heart had ceased functioning, unable to handle the absurd magical power their mother Arturia possessed. Their breathing stopped. Their skin turned cold. As your soul drifted to the other side, the Mother of stars and children took you in her arms, sad at the loss of your young life. She would care for you as she had the others whose lives were cut short. Calm you until your soul settled and was ready to try again. Yet, the cry of one's mother is hard to ignore. Most human souls cannot "Hear" once they've moved on, but the soul of a dragon is different. Your breed of existence felt the tears of your mother, her pain and anguish, as your cold body was taken from her arms. Your father's tears echoed in your soul as he rested his head against the side of the bed. Anger filled you and with a cry and a burst of fire you rejected the arms of the sun itself. Screaming through the void your soul reentered your body in a pseudo reawakening, removing your original class that had yet to be shown to the world. The doctor stared at you as you twitched and moved, opening your beedy little eyes, searching for them. You blinked…then blinked again. You proceeded to glare at the man that was neither your father nor mother. The doctor rose an eyebrow as you gave the worst stink eye a baby could muster. You took your first true breath, deep and true…**

**and proceeded to break every bit of glass within the room with the disturbing inhuman cry that left your mouth. Your body ignited into flames as you burned anyone who wouldn't take you to her, the one whose cries you felt across the void. Your Father grabbed you, the flames never harming his flesh. You felt his face, wet and cold, warm up against your skin as he nuzzled you in relief. You patted his face in irritation, reaching towards the sound of muffled cries. When you finally rested within the arms of your Mother Arturia, you used what little strength you had to bat away her tears, before falling asleep, content against her bosom. The Gods have killed for far less disrespect, baby or not.**

**But the Mother of Stars was unlike most of her brethren. She did not reject you. She did not look at you with anger. **

**For what kind of mother could hate a child such as you? Who had screamed and raged against the void of death, spurned on by naught but a mother's tears and a father's anguish. Such courage for one so small had earned the affection of The Sun itself. For it was not her power that let you live again, but your own. For such a feat she gave you her love, a love that only a mother could possess, resulting in the absurd ranking you have garnered from this title. She watches you, hoping that you live your life to the fullest. **

Jaune felt some tears in his eyes as he finished his workout. It was a flash, a face that smiled so kindly. A face that looked at him with a few tears of her own, whispering words he couldn't comprehend. She smiled as he drifted from her. She was not his mother…yet she felt like she was. There could only be one Goddess that fit the description by the system.

"…Enya" whispered Jaune.

Enya. The Little Flame that sparked all of creation and made the stars themselves, the oldest of all her kin. She was the mother of all and cared for the souls of unnamed children, circumventing the cycle of death to ensure they lived again. She was the only goddess in all of Remnant to be respected by all religious beliefs. Jaune's eyes closed as he felt a presence so unlike Salem. Salem was cold yes, but aloof and sarcastic with a bit of wit and humor mixed in. Wild and untamed. But this was….Jaune bit his lip as he basked in the feeling, the heat reminding him of only one.

"_Mother". _

It was a tiny hole in the basement ceiling, just a small ray of light poking through. But it was enough. The light burned bright as it touched Jaune's face. What felt like a small womanly hand caressed his face, singing the tears away.

"**Do not worry"** she whispered **"she waits for you, wishing every day you were with her. Wishing every day that your father was with her. She has never forgotten you. So, go my little lion and roar, for who decided that your mother couldn't be saved?"**

Jaune's eyes opened, seeing nothing. But he smiled none the less. The words that stuck with him since his birth. The words that he had been spouting since he was small. He clenched his fist, ignoring the three stat points he got from completing his daily training. He looked up, seeing nothing but the ceiling. But if he closed his eyes…well…

He could feel the sun.

_**The Lion's Sin of Pride (A)**_

**The title bestowed upon you by the Goddess Enya herself. It allows for the user to wield the sword "Escanor" and the axe "Rhitta". But it is up to the player to find such items.**

"_**Touch of the Gods"**_** (A)**

**+10 to all stats. The player has had the unexpected life to have been subjected to both the Light and Dark goddesses in his lifetime. While this title gives no Buff aside from the stat boost, it does give the player the right to wield certain "Divine" weapons. Can you find these legendary weapons? Or perhaps will you create them? This was the hidden title the player had when the System first activated. Now that the title has been activated, the stat boost has been added. **

_**Gae Bolg (Lv 1): Level requirement 30 and ?**_

**Strike at the enemy's heart and deal an additional percentage of damage. Damage + additional damage increases as the skill levels up. Additional effects may be discovered as the spear skill is increased.**

_**Runic burst (Lv 1): Level requirement 28**_

**Increases the effect of runes while equiped by 5%. ERROR ERROR. User has a complimentary class. Increases the effect by 45% due to "Arcane Craftsman" bonus. Bonus can increase as the skill levels up. **

**Be warned, these skills are only usable while equipped with Gae Bolg. Runic Burst can be "Mastered" and transferred to the Player after a certain level is reached. **

**The Player has discovered attainable skills due to new titles:**

_**Cruel Sun (Magic)**_** Required level 36**

**Burn your enemies to ash with the power of the Sun. Certain conditions and enemy types can increase the power of Cruel Sun. Base damage is determined by level, INT and WIS stats, and {Information Unavailable}. Unlock skill to learn more.**

_**Abyssal Burst**_** (Attack Buff) Required Level 42**

**The power of the Abyss enhances all offensive actions. The power of the Abyss is determined by the level of the player and the connection with the Abyss itself. Minimum Buff is +25% to both physical and magical attacks for 30 seconds.**

_**Numeral of the Saint (Dragon)**_**(Passive) Requirement: Level 25 and "Beloved of the Sun". Passive Unlocked, Requires one day worth of rest for effects to take place.**

**The blessings of the sun but contained within the body of a dragon. This difference along with other factors alters the typical power of this passive. The player currently cannot access the power until dawn tomorrow and thus must wait till then to learn more.**

_**Sol Spear Arts Lv.1 (A)**_

**Reduced to a mere 5% bonus, this is a spear technique that reveres the sun itself. To pierce the darkness and bring forth the light, that is what this skill imparts. For the sun itself becomes your weapon against your enemies. Simply having the skill gives you the ability to bring forth the "Dawn", how that works and what that is, is for the player to discover. The skill also imparts its beginner technique "Sunlight Spear". This can infuse a spear with solar light, burning anything in its path. The strength of this light is dependent on the player themselves. Next Level: It becomes possible to hurl a spear made purely of magical energy, allowing you to use this attack spell with any weapon or none at all thus granting an attack skill. Infusing this within a spear can increase spear damage by an additional 5% percent. Level up this skill even further to hone it and increase the damage.**

Jaune's lips turned into a straight pissed smile as he stared at the system alert.

"You really don't have the best sense of timing, do you?"

There was of course no response. Jaune rolled his eyes and rolled his shoulders. He was sweating a new one and his body was a little sore.

"Status Recovery" stated Jaune.

A golden light suffused Jaune's form and all his physical fatigue went away. Jaune rose an eyebrow at the still sleeping form of his guild. To be fair, Jaune doubted they had experience suffering through Mana sickness, so he'd cut them some slack. Unlike Jaune, his guild mates never had to work through several A rank gates. Jaune knelt on the ground, placing the palm of his hands on either knee.

"I thank Enya, the Goddess of stars for the life that was given to me" he muttered "I thank Salem the goddess of Magic, for the chance that I have earned."

It was a simple prayer, nothing elaborate nor flashy. But the two goddesses that Jaune had experience with cared not for such pleasantries. Unbeknownst to Jaune was how his shadow suddenly spike in shock, while the sun outside flared brightly. It was one thing to receive a prayer from those seeking power or assistance. It was another to receive a thank you from out of nowhere. The shadows, unlike their master Salem, licked at Jaune's back. For those that prayed to Salem always called her a trickster, a liar, and the keeper of secrets. They demanded knowledge and spoke the price they would pay.

She was never prayed to as a proper goddess. She looked from her domain and stared at Jaune in confusion, wondering what in the hell had brought that prayer out of him. She than shrugged and continued watching. Even on his boring days he was entertaining. The small smile on her face went unnoticed by Salem.

Outside of Salem's control the shadows at Jaune's back reached out to him, touching his arms and back. But Jaune did not veer away, mostly because he did not feel them, but that was beside the point. The shadows curled around Jaune's arm…basking in the warmth it brought.

For existences that had no concept of "heat"…it wasn't much to say that it was addicting. The "Cold" they always felt was seared away, basking in something their existence could never truly understand but enjoyed nonetheless. For Salem was not the only thing watching from the Abyss.

As Jaune's eyes remained closed he never noticed the system giving him an alert, for he had removed the annoying audio feature of the pinging.

**ALARM!**

**The Player's Companion function is reacting to unknown presence.**

The shadows dispersed though as Pyrrha grumbled awake. But instead of retreating to the darkness where they once belonged, they instead retreated into Jaune's shadow.

"My head" she whispered "Jaune?".

"Hey there" he smiled "how are you feeling?"

Pyrrha shook her head.

"I am fine" she muttered "but I was not expecting the mana to become worse as we went down. I would have prepared myself more if that was the case. But I am fine".

Pyrrha smiled as she rose, rolling her shoulders. She looked at Ruby with worry, the poor girl looking like a fever had passed through her.

"Is she?"

"She's alright" said Jaune.

"how would you know?"

"My inspect skill tells me she's developing mana resistance. Hell, all of them are. Weiss woke up before all of us though."

Sure enough the White haired mage was no where to be found.

"Where did she go?"

"Probably with Headmistress Glynda and Doctor Oobleck right now but who knows. They came along with Ozpin to check in on us…they weren't exactly happy."

"Oh no" whispered Pyrrha "what happened?"

"Nothing major" chuckled Jaune "just have to make a B rank weapon again. Which means I'll need materials."

"Materials probably cost quite a bit" muttered Pyrrha awkwardly. She wasn't afraid to admit she knew nothing of what life for the labor caste was like.

"They can" admitted Jaune "but that's not our main concern. For now, I say we relax."

"…Are you praying?" asked Pyrrha.

Jaune blinked as he stood up from his position.

"uh…yea, what gave it away?"

Pyrrha smiled.

"The meditation position you were using is common in Minstral. I don't pray much myself though."

Jaune shrugged.

"I don't pray at all. I just mostly thank whatever god helped me. Seemed rude not to."

Pyrrha rose an eyebrow.

"Who were you thanking?"

"Salem and Enya."

Pyrrha stared at her friend and blinked.

"um…isn't Salem?"

Jaune shrugged.

"If she was, would I be alive right now?"

Pyrrha blinked and to Jaune's surprise she actually seemed to think on it.

"That's…a rather good point."

Pyrrha shrugged while Jaune smiled and told her to relax.

"I don't think you'd like my form of relaxation" chuckled Pyrrha, her spear appearing from her own inventory.

"…..You relax by fighting?" asked Jaune.

Pyrrha blushed as she looked away.

"Sorry" she stressed.

"No it's just…suprising" chuckled Jaune "We were planning to practice anyways right?"

Pyrrha perked up at Jaune's subtle invitation.

"You want to train? Now?"

"Might as well" chuckled Jaune "besides I got a few skills I never bothered using".

A white lie…one that kind of sucked to say if Jaune was honest. He wanted to believe that he could tell his guild mates anything…but the system? That sounded like something out of a fantasy, and Jaune was living it! Best to keep it to himself for now, at least until he had some proof for his…odd circumstances.

The duo separated from themselves, but rather than go outside they simply moved to a further portion of the basement. The place was massive in size, at least to Jaune. There were numerous doors leading to other rooms, while the one they were in was easily the size of an acre, at least!

"Wouldn't it be better outside?" chuckled Jaune.

"I want to be here when they wake up" smiled Pyrrha "To celebrate as a guild. Weiss usually has a reason for going off, so hopefully she'll be back soon."

"From what Ozpin told me she's helping Glynda removed the security systems. Probably keeping the designs or something."

Pyrrha shrugged. She drew her shield close to her, and through a nook in the shield, placed her spear. It was a style Jaune had never seen before.

The same could be said for Pyrrha as Jaune drew his spear and settled into a stance. His feet awkwardly found their footing and he placed his left hand near the spear head and angled the spear towards the floor.

It was a wild and unusual stance, not rigid and firm like Pyrrha's own.

"Ready?" she smiled.

Jaune smirked and nodded. Without warning Jaune rushed her. Pyrrha noted that he was a tad faster than he used to be, probably having levelled up. Jaune inspected Pyrrha's spear for the first time. It was black with a silver spear head. Two gold colored bands wrapped near the head of the shaft near the spear head. But aside from that there wasn't anything overtly special about it.

**Orion's Hunting Spear (Rank:?)**

**Current Effects cannot be discerned. User is not strong enough. **

Jaune looked at Pyrrha in surprise. What kind of weapon was she using?

Pyrrha blushed heavily as she looked away. Yet, even looking away she parried Jaune's spear with her shield and stabbed at him with her own. Jaune's instincts took over and he crouched to the ground. He rose up, the spear following his momentum, flowing up to try and cut through Pyrrha's cheek. When it missed Jaune took the opening and used his momentum to push forward with his left hand, directing the momentum and his charge through the spear, aiming the butt end at Pyrrha's stomach. The girl simply pushed into Jaune's guard and shield slammed him away, too fast for the man to react. Jaune felt his lungs deflated from the blow as he was fired away a fair distance.

"SORRY!" yelled Pyrrha.

Jaune coughed.

"What are you sorry about" he chuckled, coughing all the while "that was a good hit."

Jaune rested the spear in both hands, directing the head at Pyrrha's stomach this time. His body thrummed as magic flowed through the spear. Sunlight began to pour through Gae Bolg. The unseen cracks within the weapon leaked golden light as Jaune smiled.

"Let's see how strong this is."

Pyrrha blinked in surprise. Jaune thrust the spear and a golden light smashed forward. The aim was wonky as the now golden light couldn't maintain its straight path, but Pyrrha blocked it with her shield all the same. She withstood the blow quite well, blinking at the unexpected attack.

"A new skill?" she asked.

"Something like that. I don't know much about it" admitted Jaune "but its like a skill within my Sol spear arts."

Pyrrha blinked before smiling widely.

"A unique art skill! That's fantastic Jaune, those are hard to evolve too. Weapon skills start off weak but can become a lot stronger once they're inherited."

Jaune blinked staring at the spear.

"Huh…I hope you don't mind if I ask you question every once in a while. I'm not exactly well versed in combat skills."

Pyrrha smiled.

"Not at all."

Blood began to leak from a wound on Pyrrha's cheek, while a few cuts that Jaune hadn't even felt much less seen from Pyrrha began to bleed from his arm and side. Pyrrha felt her cheek and blinked in surprise. She felt the blood between her fingers looking at it with surprise.

"Might be a good time to settle down huh" chuckled Jaune.

"I wish our aura wasn't so low" admitted Pyrrha "I would have loved to battle for a bit longer!"

"So, what did you think?" asked Jaune, depositing his spear back into his inventory.

Pyrrha took a calm expression as she stared at her guild mate.

"Honestly? Your techniques were somewhat lacking, you hesitated more than once as well. It felt like you were trying to fight in a few different ways. I think you just need to practice a bit more though, it's a common problem for people just starting out with new skills."

Jaune smiled.

"Good to hear."

Jaune blinked in surprise at the fact that only Ren was starting to wake up. Blake was already wide awake, simply enjoying the atmosphere of the lessen mana within the building.

"Welcome to the land of the living" chuckled Jaune.

Ren narrowed his eyes at the blonde.

"I'm not in the mood for dead jokes right now, we just cleared a haunted house. Please don't jinx it."

Jaune rose an eyebrow as he stared at Ren. Ren simply rubbed his eyes.

"It's a long story."

"A lot of your stories seem to be like that" chuckled Blake "By the way, Weiss left with Glynda to finalize the deed. Apparently Ruby just flew into their office with it and bolted out."

"How fast is she?" asked Jaune.

"Apparently fast enough to prevent older teachers from catching up to her."

"Damn" muttered Jaune.

"Hmm" muttered Blake.

"…"

"…"

"…so" muttered Ren "we made it?"

"We did" smiled Jaune "although not without issues."

"Oh by the gods themselves what is it now?"

Ren turned to notice Nora looked at them all irritated. Her eyes seemed duller though.  
"So, you finally calmed down" smiled Ren.

Nora looked a little embarrassed but nodded.

"Yea. Sorry about that, I get a little erratic when I don't fight often."

Jaune rose an eyebrow, while Pyrrha smiled in understanding.

"Of course, I understand. Berserkers are not exactly meant to be still after all."

Jaune looked around confused.

"Can uh…someone enlighten me here?"

Nora gat up, yawning as she stretched. She smacked her lips as she walked towards Jaune, her movements far calmer than usual.

"Just the Berserker status effect. The longer I go without combat the more erratic I tend to act. I also get kind of lippy" she muttered.

"…Huh. I get a deduction in all my combat skills thanks to my class."

Nora blinked and frowned on Jaune's behalf.

"Really? That sucks man. At least you got the whole fire thing going for you."

Jaune just shook his head and laughed. But Nora quickly cut him off, patting him on the shoulder.

"Hey man I'm laughing to but seriously, what's the issue you were talking about?"

Jaune sighed.

"I just have to make another B rank in a week that's all. I'm stronger now than I was, but I'd like to get another few levels in before I attempt it."

"Shit, didn't you blow up the last forge you used?"

"Apparently?" muttered Jaune "didn't exactly stick around when I woke up with Ruby's scythe."

"So you need a forge?" asked Blake "because I doubt the merchant guild will let you use their other ones."

"I didn't think of that" grumbled Jaune.

"….follow me" sighed Blake.

The group that was awake followed her, with Jaune walking in line with the assassin.

"What's up?" asked Jaune.

"While you and Pyrrha were sparring, I was looking through the rooms here."

"We sparred for like a few minutes at most?" asked Jaune "how many rooms could you have possibly inspected in that short time."

Blake just looked at her friend and smiled.

"There's a lot of resources here. I think they're mostly broken but I think you could make use of most of it. Also here."

Blake took out a small black shard from within her robes, handing it to Jaune.

"This is" he whispered.

**Inspect**

**Shard of Dun Scaith (A)**

**An A rank material, this shard is filled with the primordial essence of Dun Scaith, the land of shadows. As befitting its origins, this shard is overflowing with dark power. However, the unique composition of its material make-up prevents the energy within from escaping the confines. Normally an erratic material, such a shard is impossible to use in crafting due to the chaotic nature of the energy within. Yet, within the hands of the player the shard's energy remains calm and stable. What wonders or horrors can you make with this? Shards like these are excellent catalysts for same attribute runes, alchemic solutions, or rituals.**

Jaune swallowed.

"Where did you find this?" asked Jaune

"When the portal closed, there was a shard left over. It didn't react to my presence at all. Not to mention when I inspected it all I got was that it was a rare crystal that was impossible to use."

"The energy is normally chaotic" admitted Jaune "but if I do this."

The crystal began to glow an eerie black, releasing a familiar energy to the group. Jaune's own mana interfaced with the crystals, agitating it awake.

"Thought as much" muttered Blake "seems well have to run all the drops by Jaune."

"Indeed. If our own inspect would call such an item useless…I wonder what else we've missed out on in the past?"

"Not like we can use it as it is" muttered Pyrrha "do you think you can make something from this?"

Jaune smirked.

"Oh definitely. I want to get a bit stronger so I can retain more of the mana in this shard. If I tried right now, I'm pretty sure I'd lose at least two…probably three ranks worth of power from this. Not to mention everything needs to match up properly to synergize well."

Blake walked to a door, opening it to reveal a room stinking of magic.

"I think this may be what you need for the future."

Jaune blinked as he looked in.

The room was colossal. The runes littered across the walls altered space. Too rigid and formless to be the result of something like Jaune uses so it was likely this was a skill of some kind. Either way was irrelevant, because the contents of the room was littered with weak materials and vials of all sorts. At the furthest wall directly across from the group in this perfect square room, was a table.

"An alchemist table" smirked Jaune.

He took a step forward and jerked back at the crunching sound. Littering the ground was dust, colorful dust. Inspect told him exactly what it was.

The remains of materials that broke down from the ravages of time and the mana of the gate.

"SO much lost" muttered Jaune "I would have loved to have seen what was once in this room."

"Can you use it?" asked Blake "as a forge?"

Jaune smiled in thanks but shook his head.

"No. The smoke alone would suffocate me in a sealed space like this…although it would work beautifully as a storage place. Not to mention a place to practice alchemy."

"You have alchemy skills" muttered Ren with a raised eyebrow.

"I have an alchemist, tailor, blacksmith, and enchanter tree."

Ren blinked. Then Nora narrowed her eyes.

"I'm sorry you have FOUR skill trees."

Jaune nodded.

"I do as well" muttered Pyrrha "it's a pretty common trait for prestige classes."

"Oh I know" muttered Nora "what I need to know is one thing…can you make clothes?"

"uh…not yet?" smiled Jaune.

"…LEARN!" begged Nora "for the love of the gods please learn! You know how much clothes we run through in the dungeons! It sucks!"

"…Ah right the monsters."

"AND THE ENVIROMENT! I'VE LOST THREE PANTIES FOR GODS SAKE!"

"NORA!" begged Ren.

"WHAT!? I DID! I'M GETTING TIRED OF PAYING FOR THOSE REN!"

Jaune chuckled as he shook his head.

"Well Nora's back to her usual energy. Although I doubt I'll ever make um.."

Nora grinned.

"Aww, can't say it?"

Jaune pursed his lips and turned his head.

"It's just inappropriate that's all. Thanks Blake."

Blake nodded.

"Not a worry. I was hoping we could save some money…but we might have to splurge on a high end forge. I mean its an investment in the end anyway but we can't afford to splurge on much."

"I keep forgetting that" muttered Jaune "I know we're getting the same amount of money to build the guild that all the others do…the issue is I have zero doubt the merchant guild will jack the prices as high as they can for any renovations we have."

Jaune blinked as he dug around his pockets.

"Hmm.." muttered Jaune "actually…"

"What's that?" asked Pyrrha.

"A business card I got from a tailor. From what I read off it they handle anything from masonry to furniture. I'm hoping we might get a fair deal if we go through them."

"GUYS! I FOUND THE BOOZE!"

Jaune and the other turned around and noticed that Yang was laughing while holding a glass bottle.

"Dude! They seriously have a bar upstairs!"

"When did you wake up!" laughed Jaune.

"Like five minutes ago" she shrugged.

"Oh god, the brawlers a drunk" snickered Blake "isn't that typical."

"Hey!" smiled Yang "all I meant was that its time to celebrate! We're too broke to go to the inns so might as well party it up here!"

"You woke up five minutes ago" groaned Ren.

Nora's face turned dark as she locked eyes with Yang. Yang turned serious as well. Darkness covered their eyes as they dramatically walked towards each other. Jaune swore it was all in slow mo to. When they reached each other the two energetic women just grabbed each others shoulders and grinned ear to ear.

"Party time is all the time!" they chanted.

Their laughter began to wake the others, with Ruby looking at her sister with horror as the last to wake up. Weiss came down haggard and stressed. Yet, when she looked at the scene she saw before her…she couldn't help but laugh.  
"…what did I miss?" she chuckled.

The road ahead would be hard, that was for certain. There was still so much mystery to uncover and things to learn. But Jaune knew that whatever happened, however it happened…

It was going to be one hell of a ride.

**-Chapter End-**

**So kind of forgot to put this at the end, too excited to have finished the chapter I guess. So Fate/Shield is basically a Fluffy action story that focuses on Shirou and his family. The events will center around Shirou truly living out his old casted aside ideals. In a world that needs heroes Shirou is without a doubt the best for the job. He will fight the slavery of the kingdoms and the Demi-human oppression but will realize that some things are not black and white (Not that slavery is ok, he's obliterating that shit). The story will also focus on Rin coming to grasp with not having constant pressure on her and living with her lover(s?) constantly. How will that change her? Will she desire to go back home or remain here? Rider will discover that her spirit core has bascially become…weird for lack of a better term. The boundaries of Gaia and Alaya do not exist in this world and through some manipulations of the sword and a few other factors, we eventually find Rider fully incarnated and "Alive" again. Does she deserve such a thing? Her curse is at full strength now and her descent into madness and turning into a monster is all but assured…or is it? Sakura will face her own trials with Shirou as the two discover if they truly even want to return? Finally, Illya faces a rather unusual segment of her life. She physically begins to grow and with it, the expansion of her lifespan. For someone who had suffered as she had the idea she gets to live a full life is just…an impossible dream. But with her adult body comes more mature and intense feelings. Is her feelings for Shirou truly that of siblings? Does she even care? Her disinterest of the entire structure of society in this new world makes Illya a dangerous and potent enemy. Shirou and Naofumi's friendship is also odd, as Shirou must weather the younger man's rage and hatred. Will he save the boy…or will be believe the rumors like everyone else? Or will he just knock some sense into the overbearingly paranoid idiot? Shirou is 26, Sakura 25 (Or 24, don't know her exact age), Rin is 26, Rider is 3000+ but that's irrelevant. Illya is like 30+, she refuses to say her age. **

**I hope you enjoyed this break chapter! There was a lot of information stuck in this chapter with some foreshadowing and some past reveals from Jaune's own circumstances! I've left some hints for future systems that will come into play and have finally introduced the evolving skills (Solo Levelling has this). Jaune begins next chapter brokering a deal with the Beacon underworld, finding out that his building crew has some unusual requests, and what the hell a store coupon is and what store its used for! The Ill-fortune box doesn't exactly sound invite but either way he's opening that sucker! Find out more in chapter 8! Now, fully included below all this is an up to date list of all of Jaune's bonuses, skills, and future developments that have been included in this chapter and the previous ones. With all included stat bonuses and skill increases, and all buff's active at once Jaune is officially….Rank: C+ with the plus accounting for his unusual ability to use B rank weapons before he is B rank himself. Surprised? Remember that while Jaune has access to the system, he can merely interact with it. Everyone around him has the same access to titles and blessings, they just don't get notified for system quests nor get the rewards for them. While Jaune is growing to be a power house, it will be a long while before he can truly be considered a monster amongst men. Each of his guild mates are unique and special in different ways that make them just as dangerous as Jaune or even more so. The number of skills does not matter if the person you are facing can kill you easily with just one. Jaune will be powerful eventually, but that's part of the Journey. For now, here is Jaune's full list below of his current abilities, with some future skills as well. **

**Jaune (Artorias) Level 21-26. **

**Class: **

**Arcane Craftsman**

**? ?:**

**? ? **

**(What the cinnamon toast fuck is this!? Get a hint for what this may be next chapter. Can you figure out what this is before it is revealed in the future?)**

**STATS (from level 21-16):**

**STR: 75-125 (A)**

**CON: 75-125 (A)**

**DEX: 58-83 (C) **

**AGI: 57-87 (C)**

**INT: 93-143 (A)**

**WIS: 82-132 (A)**

**CHA: 63-98 (B)**

**RES: 139-199 (EX)**

**Fixing up health and mana here guys (Update 2.1 as we'll call it). Every level gives 200 to health and 100 mana for everyone from now on. Aura gets 100 per level as well. The stats are than added to their respective pools to further enhance the and diversify an individual's health pool. There will be no progression shown for the health,aura, and mana pools. BONUS STATS DO NOT EFFECT HEALTH, MANA, OR AURA. This is mostly due to stat bonuses and health bonuses being different enchantments within this world, as such bonus stats do not effect health, aura, or mana. I've also added ranks for the health and stuff to give a rough idea of what Jaune is like in comparison to others. This is all level 26 Jaune. **

**(C) Health: 5,620 (Influenced by STR, CON, DEX, and AGI)**

**(B) Mana: 5,573 (Influenced by INT, WIS, and CHA) (MANA GROWTH ENHANCED BY "Factor of the Dragon", resulting in DOUBLE gains per level)**

**(D) Aura: 2,799 (Influenced by RES and explains why Labor Caste Members can be inexplicably durable due to their high resistance).**

**Culminates to the current rank of: C. Since Health, Mana, and Aura are all influenced by the core stats, they are the best indicators of an individual's overall power. **

**PASSIVES: **

"**Factor of the Dragon" Rank: A+**

**The flesh and blood of a dragon in human form. Those born from such a lineage have a chance of becoming a dragon in human form. The higher the rank, the greater the bonuses and the more draconic the individual. Current Bonuses are as follows:**

**Mana A = MASSIVE INCREASES PER LEVEL, DOUBLING THE GROWTH.**

**Dragon Hide C = -10% physical damage and -15% magical damage**

**ANTI-DRAGON = Player takes 150% extra damage from all Anti-Dragon weapon and spells. **

"**Numeral of the Saint" (Dragon) Rank: A (Currently Not Active) **

**The power of the sun and the roar of flames flows through you. A variation of an additional passive, currently in use by Gawain, that has been altered due to the numerous factors within the player. Due to the Player's strong Draconic blood and EX connection to the sun, this skill has evolved to better match the player and their personality. Rather than turn the player into a juggernaut of pure power, this skill now introduces a massive XP boost and power-up to all "SUN" based spells and attacks. This skill also effects the Player's with bonus stats. Certain conditions will increase the stat bonuses. Certain conditions can remove the stat bonuses. **

**+25 to Strength**

**\+ 30 to Constitution**

**+35 to both Intelligence and Wisdom**

**+10 to both Dexterity and Agility**

**+50% extra damage with "Sun" attribute items/spells.**

**+50% extra damage with "Holy" attribute items/spells. ERROR this bonus has been lost due to the affinity with the "ABYSS"**

**+100% extra damage from "Dark" attribute items/spells. ERROR. Due to certain titles and passives this has been reduced to 0%. **

**Spellcaster's Blessing!**

**The Spellcaster's blessing is a spell-based passive that was earned by the player. The combination of blessings found within this passive ensure an explosive increase to recovery while the player sleeps. Other blessings include Longevity which gives the player long life. Immunity to poison. Immunity to Diseases. Strong resistance to Status Effects with some being outright ineffective against the player.**

**Stoke the Forge (PRESTIGE!) **

**The Passive that the Player expressed first in life. This allows the Player to bring any material to forging materials and ignite ANY material. This includes gases such as AIR! Activation Cost 10 MP per second for crafting purposes, no continuous cost. Combat Cost: 100 MP per second, the closer the flames are to the user the more power they retain and the hotter they burn. This passive can undergo an evolution if certain conditions are met. Three paths are available at this time. **

**Current/Future Skills! (future skills will show the requirements to unlock them):**

**Tree: Blacksmith (Master -) **

**Your overall skill in this tree allows for the creation of master class C rank weapons and Standard B Rank weapons. Plus 60% potency to all item creations. Increases the efficiency and effects of all "Blacksmith" skills. Can learn any "Master" class blue print for any weapon and armor designs.**

**SKILLS WITHIN TREE:**

_**Reinforcement (B) (Inherited) Lv. 5**_

**Fill in the structural gaps of an item, strengthening its power and durability. When used on an item it can repair durability by 50% and increase durability by 10%. When used during crafting increases potency of the item by 25%.**

**Cost: 150 MP per use (Due to the increase in stats and the higher level of the skill, cost has been reduced.)**

_**Grind (C) (MAX)**_

**Sharpen a weapon to perfection. Not much else it does…or does it? Who the fuck knows.**

_**Structural Grasping (A) (Inherited) Lv. 5**_

**Intuitively understand the structure of an item. Understand how and when it was created. Can recreate the blueprint of any "ADVANCE" weapon design and below at current level. Can also be used to feel and direct the flow of mana. Can be used with Reinforcement to further both skills effects by an additional 10%. When used during item creation the potency of the item is increased by 20%. Currently requires the player to physically touch the target.**

_**Quench (D+++) Lv. 10 (MAX!)**_

**Cools and tempers metal while strengthening by 25%. The skill Quench is now fully upgraded and can be further enhanced with special catalysts. For instance, using certain magical regents can affect how quench works, allowing for greater or lesser results in the over all potency of an item. No regents bonus: +35% to weapon/armor potency. Regent bonus: 40% and above. Experiment with new materials to discover the best resources. Due to the regent system, evolution is not possible with this skill.**

_**Dismantle (A) Lv. 3**_

**Destroys an item completely with some restrictions. Small chance of one material used in the item's creation being salvaged. Current chance: 15%. Originally a Tailor based skill, the Player's action of using a sword has transferred the skill to the Blacksmith tree, allowing it to gain the bonuses of the metal working class.**

**Tree: Enchanter (Intermediate +)**

**Increases the effectiveness of runes by 30%. Runes cost 10% less. The Enchanter tree allows for the manipulation of raw magic and as such is the most mysterious of the current skill trees available to the player.**

**SKILLS**

_**Enchanting (A) Lv. 4**_

**Enchanting allows for the ability to imbue runes into weapons and armor. Can currently use 85% of the power within single word runes. Can currently use 30% of the power within simple runic sentences. Arcane Craftsman bonus unlocked! Extra 15% bonus added to all runes. **

_**Rune Sight (A) (MAX)**_

**Rune Sight is a passive ability that allows for the instantaneous understanding and retention of runes seen by the player. The amount of runes they can understand at one time and how complex of a structure of runes they can understand is dependent on the Player's knowledge, level, and stats. This skill can evolve if certain conditions are met. Requirements: Level 45 and ?**

_**Rune Crafting (C) Lv. 3**_

**A unique class skill. Allows for the creation of runes. Plus 10% to all runes at Lv. 3. Can currently use all Single word runes and create simple runic structures. This can allow for the player to innovate and gain access to runes and enchantments of a higher level than the player may be at the time of creation while giving a boost to runic power as well. **

**Effect: all Single words 100% success rate. All simple runic sentences 56% percent rate. Practice more to increase the odds of success. Cannot currently use advance runic sentences or above. **

**Tree: Tailor (Beginner +)**

_**Alteration (A) (Inherited) Lv. 4**_

**The Alteration skill is in truth a tailor-based skill that can be unlocked by an experienced blacksmith. This skill allows for the player to alter the characteristics of an item. The higher the level the more absurd changes the user can make. Currently can alter the size of targeted item and enhance the properties of any given material. Increase the level of this skill to find out more of what it can do. This skill alters fabrics more easily than metal. When used during item creation it can increase potency by 20%**

_**Salvage (E) (MAX)**_

**NEW SKILL! Salvage allows for a 100% return of the base materials of any given item. However, unlike dismantle, the salvage skill requires certain conditions to fully function. The item in question MUST be a full rank below the user. All materials salvage suffer degradation in quality. A meh skill for the tailor class…but can the player find a useful avenue for this skill? It is possible to sacrifice this skill and its XP to feed another skill. **

**Tree: Alchemist**

**LOCKED!**

**Tree: title/weapon/learned Skills. Any explained titles, weapons, or learned skills in the chapter are not explained here, merely listed. Much like weapons, titles too can come with ranks.**

_**TITLES:**_

_**Abyss Walker (A) (NEW)**_

_**Beloved of the Sun (EX) (NEW)**_

_**Sun Knight (A) (NEW)**_

_**He who Overcame Adversity (EX)**_

**You have overcome even death itself! Every obstacle that stands in your way must perish, for you refuse to back down and cower in the dark, nor bow to the light. Stats will increase by 1% for every 1% of health lost. THE TITLE MUST BE EQUIPPED FOR THESE EFFECTS TO TAKE PLACE**

_**Solo Player (A)**_

**You do everything by yourself, the concept of a team means nothing to you. +10 to all stats when fighting alone. **

_**Interest of the Abyss (C)**_

**A title earned by completing the accomplishment "Into the Abyss". This title is earned when garnering the interest of Salem and maintaining it for more than one week! This skill evolves as the relationship with Salem improves. The title has upgraded from D to C! Salem's interest effects your very life, resulting in an increase of LUCK based events. Effects: +45% chance for rare quests and odd situations. +10% for better drops while in a dungeon!**

_**Touch of the Gods (A++) (New)**_

_**The Poor Bastard (B) (NEW)**_

**The poor bastard title increases one's luck and represents the "Luck" stat of the Player. While most wish to be lucky it's not as nice as you'd think. The rank of the title is the rank of the Player's luck. While luck can allow for the Player to survive impossible odds, it also creates impossible situations and incredibly bizarre and usually dangerous circumstances. The higher the luck the worst your screwed, but at least your one hell of a gambler!**

_**Unbreakable Resolve (A)**_

**A title earned from completing the "Unbreakable Resolve" accomplishment. Due to the various means of acquiring this title, there is no exact method of acquiring it. Even in death your soul remained your own, you remain unchanged, stubborn as you were in life. For you, nothing is impossible. Instead, it is simply something that hasn't been done yet. You prefer to do everything with your own two hands, even rejecting power given to you by others. If it is not earned…than it is not worth it. This unshakable resolve has given rise to two effects: +25% potency to all crafting. +25% to combat efficiency, but the title must be equipped for this effect to be enacted. **

_**UIndomitable Will (A+)**_

**In the face of death, you retained your sense of strength. You truly are the incarnation of Indomitable! Nothing and no one can chain you down! Effect: -15% to all bindings, physical or magical. Immunity to all charisma based spells, both negative and positive!**

_**Title Collector!**_

**A nice little title to show off how many you've acquired! (10 or more)**

_**No Kill like Overkill! (A)**_

**Deal additional damage to defeated enemies! + 200%**

_**Dream Maker (D)**_

**You've made someone's dream a reality (Ruby). This title currently gives no benefit…but it feels nice to have doesn't it?**

_**The Lion's Sin of Pride (NEW)**_

_**Inheritor**_

**A little bonus title for inheriting more than two skills from your parents!**

_**Tragic Hero/Greek Tragedy **_

**The beginning of your heroic tale began in tragedy! Let us hope your ending is not the same. This title gives The Player a dramatic flair!...well that's it, what else did you want?**

_**Little Miracle**_

**As a child the Player played a pivotal role in a "Miracle". Did you want to know what it is? Well too bad learn it later. **

_**Hero**_

**The player had performed a heroic deed that saved more than 100 people. But what exactly was this deed you ask? I'm not telling, so suck a nut. You'll learn later. **

_**Salem's Champion (EX?)**_

**You couldn't care less about being her champion. Salem couldn't care less about even having one in the first place. The reason you have this title is beyond the Systems understanding and it gives no benefit to the Player. **

_**Momma's Boy (A++++) (For Mother's Day)**_

**You respect your mother like you should. For those who don't have such a title. **

**Fucking Shame on you XD **

_**Weapons: **_

**Gea Bolg (Alternative) Currently Damaged Rank: B-**

**Kraine's Longsword Rank: C**

_**Tools:**_

**Them Shitty Arcane Craftsman tools Rank: C**

_**FUTURE and CURRENT SKILLS OUTSIDE THE SKILL TREES (THE BEST FUCKING PART XD)**_

**So long as the requirements are met, the Player can learn these skills!**

**Sword Skills: **

"**Sword Arts (D) Lv.2"**

**The most basic sword skill for any aspiring melee fighter. The current effect at Lv.2 is: +6% to all damage with a blade. The basics of sword play dwelling within the skill is "Atlasian Sword Techniques" and "Round Table Knight Techniques". The origin of the Player's training can affect the evolution of the skill.**

**Bow Skills: **

"**Bow Arts" (Locked)**

**Spear Skills: **

_**Gae Bolg (B) (Lv 1):**_** Level requirement 30 and ?**

_**Runic burst (A)**_** (Lv 1): Level requirement 28 (NEW)**

_**Sol Spear Arts (A)**_** (Lv.1) (NEW)**

_**Magic based Skills**_

_**Cruel Sun**_** (Magic) Required level 36 and "Title Already Acquired" (NEW)**

_**Abyssal Burst (Attack Buff)**_** Required Level 42 and "Title Already Acquired" (NEW)**

**Ignition Burst (Fire Buff) Lv.2 Rank: B**

**Ignition Burst is a Pyromancer Skill. A buff Skill that increases the potency of all fire magic by 20% percent. The Buff lasts for 4 minutes due to the increase of Wisdom.**

**MP Cost: 125 MP per use.**

**Skills can evolve and the ranking simply refer to the rarity of a skill. EX skills are unique and thus cannot be quantified: **

**(D) Basic Skills with small buffs (Start off at 3%)**

**(C) Evolved Skill with moderate buffs (Start off at 5%)**

**(B) A skill that has evolved even further! They carry great buffs and unique abilities. Some even allow the player to learn special skills (Start off at 20%)**

**(A) The pinnacle of a skill's evolutionary journey! The power held within is immense and can carry multiple effects and when fully levelled up has extreme buffs! The chance for powerful skills are immense with such a grade. Buffs Starts off at 60% (!?)**

**(EX) A unique skill that cannot be passed down unless certain circumstances occur. These skills are unique and can have a wide variety of powers and odd effects. However, EX rank skills are risky to develop as they can either hide incredible power or be duds. (Buffs depend)**

There you go guys; I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave your reviews and critics and buckle up for the first release of "Fate/Shield". Stay Safe during these trying times and I hope you are all healthy!


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys sorry for the delay, but man life has just been hitting me in the balls! The state of the world sucks. One part due to the pandemic and the second part due to racist idiots somehow still being a thing. It's like, wtf my dude why does hate like that even still exist? We should all be living in harmony and peace, but some idiots decided not to get that memo. Hopefully this story can brighten some of these bleak days eh? **

**Also, some personal stuff has happened that delayed my writing a bit. But worry not, I'm still writing! Now for this chapter I have a surprise! Think back to the rankings. Some of you had some confusion regarding why Jaune is C rank with all his growth stats being so high, this chapter answers that. Think back for a moment in the story. Oobleck explained to the class that high ranking weapons are illegal to wield in public, due to the mana being so heavy for the weaker populace. Yet, Jaune was just fine in the face of Scathach's EX rank original Gae Bolg? Oobleck also explained that you needed to pass certain tests to get a certain rank within the guild, yet his own explanation revealed one nugget of truth. You could be A rank in power but never pass B rank. How do you know what your ranking is? How powerful you are? This chapter will answer that question, for we know that the amount of mana a person and weapon can hold can be quite a bit. Yet, what makes a dagger A rank when it would obviously hold less mana than an A rank sword? **

**We've talked and explored quite a bit about the amount of mana within each rank. But what about the potency of that mana? What makes some mana B rank and other mana A rank if they were the same amount (Which is normally not possible btw but hypothetically speaking).**

**Read on my friends and find out!**

**Arcane Craftsman Chapter 8: **

The sound of laughter.

The feeling of comradery.

The enjoyment of friends.

Could there be any better an atmosphere than this? Jaune doubted it. It's been at least an hour since Yang had led everyone to the bar she found. It stupefied Jaune just how much was in this place…almost like it was designed so that no one would have to leave, or leave as little as possible. But that was a thought for another time.

"Ok ok ok ok" chuckled Yang "Let me get this straight. You got asked out by a girl and just…said no?"

Jaune sighed for the second time.

"Is that so hard to believe?" he smiled, taking another sip of a cherry flavored drink.

"Come on" said Yang "there's not a chance you haven't had a girlfriend, even as busy as you were."

Jaune rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"I think you underestimate how busy I was".

Yang shrugged.

"Still, you rejected her?"

"Yes. I wasn't interested in her in the first place and honestly I wasn't looking to get married at the time."

Yang blinked.

"What?"

"What?" asked Jaune, looking at the confused expressions of everyone "what!?".

"Marriage is a little early don't you think?" asked Ren.

Everyone ignored the way Nora grinned at Ren.

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"Those of the labor caste work their trade to earn their money" said Jaune "but unlike heroes or nobles not all the labor caste can get a steady supply of money. So getting married early and having a joint income is something important for us."

Blake sputtered a bit.

"But at 16?"

Jaune shrugged.

"I thought it was normal, not to mention sweet" he smiled "if I was interested I might have said yes. She knew my dad was sick and my money situation."

"So why say no?" ask Pyrrha.

"Cause I wasn't attracted to her whatsoever and I wasn't going to drag her into debt by inserting her into my situation" said Jaune.

"Fair" muttered Yang "but still that sucks. Still a virgin."

Jaune rolled his eyes as Yang wiggled her own. Sure let her believe that.

"So, what about you guys?" asked Yang.

Blake shrugged further down the bar table while Weiss sighed.

"Dated a few. Some were good I admit" sighed Weiss "but…they were invested in Atlas the way it was so…the relationship just burned out."

Yang, who was seated beside Weiss and Jaune, patted the girl's shoulder.

"Had a boyfriend. Didn't work out" stated Blake.

"How bad was it?" asked Nora from Blake's side.

"Bad enough I lost interest in men."

Nora rose an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"Pffft, no" scoffed Blake "but I let him think that's the case."

Nora began laughing so hard she fell out of the rickety stool that was her seat. Ruby screamed as she too was dragged down due to being beside Nora. Unlike the Valkyrie however, her stool didn't break. While Weiss bemoaned the loss of yet another piece of furniture, Ren helped Nora up.

"Still can't believe a place like this is even here" muttered Weiss "what kind of guild needs an inbuilt bar?"

The alcohol that Yang had found was literally housed in a bar like room. The group sat at a large bar stand with a few of the stools still standing. The room was a mess of broken tables and shattered glass but the wall behind the table still held a large assortment of alcohol. It must have been an entertainment room of some kind but it was still unnecessary in some fashion to Jaune.

"I have to say I'm more shocked at how big this place is" muttered Ren as he sat down.

Nora grinned as she squeezed herself into his stool

"I mean…to have a full-sized bar of all things and still have room?"

"Not to mention that huge ass basement" muttered Nora as she sat her but down on Ren's lap.

"Makes you wonder what exactly these people were compensating for" wondered Weiss.

Everyone murmured in agreement over that. Pyrrha smiled as she took another sip of her small glass, having sat on the opposite side of Ren. Her pleased hum making Yang stare at her in shock once more.

"Honestly Pyrrha I think you're the only person who can drink Minstrilian Vodka and smile. That shit's rank!"

Pyrrha blushed a bit as she smiled.

"It's considered the staple drink of my hometown."

"Do all of them have iron livers or what? That shit strips off paint!"

Ruby pouted at her sister for cussing but smiled all the while. Today was the first day that was allowed to try some alcohol!

It sucked.

So instead she got milk! She smiled pleasantly as she dipped another cookie in there. Ruby smiled even more as she threw a cookie to Yang, the brawler not expecting the projectile failed to catch it. Jaune did not. Before Yang could get a word in the boy swallowed the cookie whole. Yang gave Jaune the stink eye while Ruby began to laugh.

"So" sighed Jaune "I've enjoyed this as much as all of you…but I think it's time we talk about what's happening."

Jaune flicked the business card he had with him onto the bar stand, letting it filter around his guild mates.

"I'm thinking of asking for their help in rebuilding the guild house. As much as I think we can tough it out…there's just no telling what kind of damage this place has."

Yang sighed as she nodded.

"Tell me about it. Almost lost my leg from when the floor gave out."

Weiss nodded.

"The longer we wait the worse it will get. The magic that has been keeping the building together has been unwoven. I would have preferred to keep it intact but it was unfortunately the main contributor to the overly saturated mana. I ended up gaining Mana resistance just from this experience alone. It's next to impossible to find a place saturated in mana enough to cause your body stress but not kill you."

Hence the rarity of the skill for lower ranked hunters. Not to mention magic resistance, much like basic combat arts, was one of the few skills that could be learned…so long as certain prerequisites existed. It was not all powerful, as many dead hunters could attest to. It was considered the one singular skill that all A rank hunters and above needed, making it highly sought after.

"I find it kind of odd they'd go through all that trouble just to keep a temporary guild house" sighed Nora "I mean, they were gonna graduate eventually."

"I think it had more to do with keeping their activities a secret" said Pyrrha.

"Either way, their stupidity is our gain!" yelled Yang as she chugged a large beer she was drinking. She sighed in happiness as she turned her attention to Weiss "how's the monthly payment?" she asked.

Weiss smiled in relief.

"Ozpin, due to the situation we have faced, has given us some leeway with the monthly payment. For now we only have to pay 4,500 lien a month."

Yang sucked in a breath.

"Still not cheap" she grumbled.

"Maybe not" agreed Blake "but considering the ridiculous size of this place? It's fair. Perhaps we should break it down?"

Jaune shook his head.

"Better to have too many rooms than too little."

"I think its best if we wait until the mason's give us a quote before we decide on anything" supplied Pyrrha.

The girl chugged the rest of her drink, making Yang shiver while Ren just rose an eyebrow as Pyrrha poured a second, no worse for wear.

"Jeez you can pack it in can't you?" asked Nora.

Jaune narrowed his eyes at Nora with a smile.

"Coming from the girl that just finished a barrel?"

Jaune wasn't kidding. The girl was on her second barrel of Vacuo Mead. The land of clans was housed to a vast display of rich and diverse cultures. Ranging from imperialistic clans, Viking tribes, nomadic warriors, and numerous other cultures, the lands of Vacou was housed to a climate that was as diverse as its people. It was the home of artisans and warriors alike. While it was called a Kingdom, Vacuo was in truth just a land filled with numerous states all warring for supremacy. A war that had lasted for so long that it had become a part of its very culture. While the clans may war amongst themselves in a land free of Grimm, they have banded together to fend off invaders before. So great was this combined might that the other kingdoms granted Vacuo the right to call itself a kingdom. While there was no King, there was a representative. In any major foreign affair such as trading or mass alliances, the Kingdom would create a tournament in which the strongest was named "Representative". However, considering that Vale only traded with certain states much like the other kingdoms, the selection of a representative was extremely rare. The last having occurred roughly 291 years ago. Vacuo truly was the land of heroes. What did all of this have to do with this current situation? With Vacuo being a massive mixing pot of cultures, the results of such a combination could be varied. One such result?

Vacuo made the most bitchin alcohol on the planet.

Period.

"This is like water back home" grinned Nora "wonder how pa and the rest are doing?"

"You on good terms with them?" asked Jaune.

"Course. It's you losers who have the family issues."

Nora grinned as everyone frowned, while Nora held a hand out to Blake.

"Come on give me five!"

Dead silence.

"Oh come on it was funny!"

Jaune just chuckled as he got up, rolling shoulders.

"That reminds me" he muttered "might as well check the crystal before I go."

Jaune took out the Dun Scaith crystal from his inventory. Ruby oohed at the pretty color. Jaune stared at the crystal as he twisted it around. It was about the size of a football and almost equal to it in girth. Yet, the weight was almost nonexistent and the shimmer of the crystal waved like water.

"I have an idea for what I want to do, but I can't senselessly experiment with this" muttered Jaune "I need good materials if I'm going to make another B rank."

"Think you can work with this?" asked Blake.

"I can but…I'm definitely going to lose out on a great deal of power. The last A rank material I used ended up losing a whole rank before I was finished. Not to mention that I was lucky to have runes and enchantments that synergized well with the materials."

"Aren't they the same thing?" asked Ruby "runes and enchantments I mean."

Jaune spoke without thinking.

"Not necessarily. Enchantments are made up of runes that's true, but it's like comparing a letter to an entire book. The complexity and difference between the two are not the same. I can add the rune for "Serration" to make something cut better but the "Serration" enchantment would have a lot more power and focus to it than just a single rune."

"So the more runes the better right?" smiled Ruby.

Jaune chuckled as he traced the rune for fire. The small sideways V symbol was engraved into the bar stand. The symbol puffed some small embers, trying to ignite but failed. The rune eventually fizzled out, mostly due to the lackluster attempt by Jaune. Then, Jaune focused a line of runes, the "Fire" enchantment that he had learned from the punishment zone. This one ignited a portion of the bar stand for an instant before Jaune crushed the flames with his mana, sputtering it out. It cost him a good few hundred units of mana but it was worth it. Nora chucked a mug at Jaune for scaring the crap out of her but missed.

"Notice the enchantment I drew?" asked Jaune "it looked like it only had a few words, right?"

Ruby pouted at Jaune for scaring her with the fire but nodded.

"The truth is it had a least a few dozen or so. Runes are not…they're not like letters as we understand them. They're more…symbols, meanings given shape and form. An enchantment made up of hundreds, even thousands of runes, could only be a small line long with the opposite true as well. The smallest indent, the tiniest margin out of place can change the enchantment entirely. I only know one enchantment because I haven't figured out how those runes mesh together to form enchantments just yet. Not to mention in what order or form either. The only way I'll know is by doing…and I need good materials to even start."

"Maybe that masonry group will have some stuff?" suggested Yang.

"We were surprised at the rank of that crystal" smiled Ren "perhaps you can swindle them from some high-end materials without them even realizing it. It's not like they'll be able to use it like you in the first place."

"True" muttered Jaune "best to learn all I can about this crystal then".

His eyes glowed crimson as Jaune began to activate his structural analysis skill.

"Hmm?" hummed Blake.

CRACK!

Jaune cringed as he grabbed his head, his stomach hurling up as the sudden influx of mana made his entire world spin. He fell from the stool, some vomit escaping his mouth as he tried to will the feeling away. The crystal snapped in two uneven pieces as gusts of black mana dissipated into the air. The burst of A rank mana dissipated too quickly to be of harm to Jaune's guild mates.

However,…Jaune was connected to the crystal through structural analysis. His own mana used to flow through the material in order to decode its secrets. As such…he was not so lucky.

**WARNING!**

**The Player's mana has interwoven with the shard and agitated the mana within. The player is too weak to interface with this material! The player has lost 4875 health. **

Jaune couldn't hear anything at the moment. The only thought was him wondering how this happened. Then he remembered the core difference between this crystal and the branch of Gae Derg. There was a will, a consciousness in the material that guided him and actively assisted him. This crystal had no such thing, it was just a collection of power and he had stupidly attempted to interface with it without thinking. The structural analysis ability wasn't some info dump, it was his mana interfacing with the material and reading it so to speak. If he was too weak or unskilled, then the mana would just resurge back violently as it did just now.

Jaune coughed as he struggled to get up. His body immediately began to heal and repair itself though, thanks to the Spell caster's blessing removing the Mana Sickness debuff.

"That…that was not pleasant" grumbled Jaune.

"Jaune are you alright!?" asked Pyrrha.

The champion helped him to his feet while Ren was looking through the bottles. He mixed something from a pouch that he kept at his side and a specific drink from Vacou that he found.

"Ren?" asked Nora "are you sure?"

Without saying anything the young man brought a cup to Jaune's face, the vapors wafting through his nose. Jaune suddenly felt invigorated. His health suddenly began to rise rapidly, his body somehow beginning to heal itself on its own accord.

"What is that?" asked Jaune.

"A pick me up of sorts" said Ren "nothing special. My mother taught me the recipe when I was younger and I find it helps with colds, headaches, and even mana sickness. I keep it on hand for Nora, as it helps calm her when she begins to become…troublesome".

Jaune didn't have the heart to tell the poor guy that his body was immune to debuffs of that nature. But still…a cure for the common cold?

Well dang. Jaune inspected it.

**Y9k4i Cure all!**

**An alchemic solution that is not human in design. The vapors from this elixir have the ability to sooth the aches of the recipient but can have different effects depending on the species it is used on. Due to a unique mana signature required to create this elixir it is not an "Alchemy" skill as it is impossible for humans to replicate. Infinitely inferior to the "original" this elixir can still cure the following: Headaches, Colds, Mana Sickness, Muscle aches, exhaustion, mental strain, aggression, depression, anxeity, constipation, diarrhea, addiction, blue skin, and the irrational fear of small furry animals. **

**Don't ask. **

**WARNING: While the vapors are beneficial to humans, the mixture itself is NOT SAFE FOR CONSUMPTION. Due to the player's draconic heritage this elixir has the ability to invigorate the player's blood, allowing for more draconic features such as "regeneration" to be enhanced. Effects last for 10 minutes. WARNING: Constant use of this elixir can lead to overdose symptoms. Be careful with its use.**

The drink stopped glowing as Ren smiled. He sipped at the mixture, sighing at the peace it brought. Jaune wondered what kind of word had numbers in it once again, but honestly, he cared little at this point.

"_Wait didn't it just say it wasn't safe for?"_

Jaune's thoughts were cut off as Ren spoke up, finishing his drink.

"The effects do not last long, but the tea is nice. How are you feeling?"

"Stupid" muttered Jaune as Pyrrha helped him to his feet "I shouldn't have just analyzed that thing without thinking. Structural analysis isn't like inspect; it interfaces directly with the material…damnit" growled Jaune.

He looked at the crystal on the ground as Yang picked them up. The flavor text remained the same, but the crystal was now two and the rank a solid B. An ocean's worth of mana gone…over one careless mistake.

Jaune didn't even want to think about what would have happened if he made a mistake forging with it.

"This might be for the best" murmured Jaune "I thought I was ready to work with that level of material….it's obvious now that I'm not. I'm ok Pyrrha."

The red head rolled her eyes at Jaune as she let go.

"I'm sorry if I don't necessarily believe you. Jaune you just…shut down."

Blake spoke up as she shook her head.

"Maybe you should wait a bit. Mana sickness isn't something you can just ignore."

"He doesn't have it".

Everyone turned to Weiss who was looking at Jaune with surprise.

"He doesn't have Mana sickness" she said again "it seems his body just…filtered it out. Seems the rumors were true about the Pendragons being more than human."

Out of every reaction that could have possibly come from that reaction, it was Ren's that surprised Jaune. His eyes shone with something. Jaune couldn't put his finger on it but the most he could tell was that it wasn't negative. At least so he thought anyways.

"Like I said I'm fine" smiled Jaune "so don't worry about me. Besides we can't afford to wait, not with the big guilds creeping down on us."

Yang scowled as she stepped forward and flicked Jaune on the head. Jaune blinked as he actually felt that. It friggen hurt.

"None of that" grunted Yang "at least take someone with you. You may feel fine but you can't think we're just going to ignore what just happened?"

"I said I'm go-"

FLICK.

"OW! Why does that hurt!?" asked Jaune.

"Sibling secret. Look, I get that you looked after yourself for a while but that's not how this guild is going to be run. We all got stuff, that much at least is obvious, but that doesn't mean we have to face it alone. Now I aint here for none of that sing along hug crap, but it doesn't change the fact that I've come to care for you all. Fuck, it's actually depressing how you all make me feel more at ease than my actual long time friends."

Ruby pouted a bit as she gripped her skirt, twisting the fabric in her hands.

"At least you had friends".

Blake looked at the younger girl like a person would a depressed puppy.

"Yea that might have been why" muttered Yang "look the point is, that you're not alone. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna fuck up, hell we all are" she chuckled "but that doesn't change the fact that we are here now, together. So come on, let's get to that masonry or whatever its called and figure this out. Like you said, best to get it out of the way now before we get even more issues."

"I'll try to figure out more of the…politics of this school" grumbled Weiss tiredly "I'd rather not be surprised by the merchant's guild through some loop hole of some kind."

"You need a nap" muttered Yang.

"Seriously" grumbled Nora "Are you ok?"

"This whole debacle has been nothing but a roller coaster of stress" sighed Weiss.

"What's a roller coaster?" asked Jaune.

Everyone turned to him.

"outer village?" asked Ruby.

"Uh…yea?"

Ah yes, the outer villages. Within the recent forty or so years, technology has seen a massive leap in development across the kingdoms. When Ironwood had ascended as the head of the "Clock tower" as it was officially called, he had shared the inventions and innovations of Atlas. While this was a massive boon for everyone involved, many had underestimated how…advanced Atlas truly was. Vale was the second largest kingdom out of the four and as such the technological benefits have taken some time to properly spread across the citizens. Towns that had limited advancements were nicknamed "Outer Villages" by the populace. The term referring both to the location and size of the communities. Jaune's previous home within Arc had roads, sidewalks, and even a train! Its shipyard was state of the art as well with some households even having appliances and cars! It truly was a town slowly evolving to match the marvels of Atlas and Vale proper. So, while Jaune knew of cars, planes, and even some appliances, amusement parks were not a part of his knowledge.

"That explains it" snapped Yang "Welp amusement park is definitely a guild date than. Now, anyone else want to come with us?"

Ren stepped forward, but not for the reason some would think.

"Me and Nora will be inspecting the town today. I want to see what we can acquire outside of the merchant guild if necessary. The entire guild is limited to the school grounds so their hold in Vale proper shouldn't be too strong."

"Not to mention we need FOOD!" declared Nora "and uhh…something to store said food."

"That too" smiled Ren.

"Oooh! I'll come!" said Ruby.

Blake went beside Weiss.

"I'll stick with Weiss for now. I'll see if there is any rouge's I can get in contact with. There might be an underground market here that we can use."

"Nothing illegal please" sighed Weiss "not that I think assassins or thieves have those kind of connections I just meant….i'm shutting up now."

Blake just chuckled and shook her head, leading Weiss ahead.  
"I'll tag along if that's alright" smiled Pyrrha.

Yang just smirked at the red head, causing her to blush. Jaune smiled as he nodded. His expression warmed up as he smiled brightly at Pyrrha, enjoying the fact his friend would be joining him. Pyrrha's face felt like the sun just rose on it. Her cheeks flushed as she scowled at herself. She shook her head a bit as she smiled back. Nobody mentioned her little habit of biting her lower lip when she was nervous.

"Shall we?" asked Pyrrha.

"Sure" said Jaune "it should only be a twenty minute walk there."

As such the group went their separate ways, but not for long. The issue of the guilds was quickly becoming more and more of a problem than Jaune first assumed. He wouldn't be able to go to Atlas as quick as he thought he would…not to mention that the whole crystal debacle made one thing abundantly clear.

He was not ready. At least, not yet. He needed to learn more and increase the skills that he had in his possession. The only way he could do that was by forging…and waiting a week wasn't going to cut it. He needed to start now if he wanted to make a B rank weapon reliably.

"What's on your mind?" asked Pyrrha.

Jaune blinked, he looked around realizing he was now outside and on the beaten path with yang and Pyrrha.

"Sorry" he chuckled "got lost in thought. I'm realizing that there is a lot I don't understand."

"Hey, we're here for ya" chuckled Yang "ask away if anything confuses you. We might know the answer…uh expect if its labor caste stuff, for obvious reasons."

Jaune just smiled and shook his head.

"Well…there was something" muttered Jaune "I learned recently that A rank weapons were banned right?"

Pyrrha answered quickly.

"In most cases, yes".

"So, there are exceptions?"

Yang nodded as she rolled her shoulders.

"Not so much exceptions as a difference between users" explained Yang "you know how the ranks become exponentially stronger as you go up the scale?"

Jaune nodded.

"That also exists for the rank itself. It's not really noticeable until you're at B rank."

Jaune narrowed his eyes at Yang and smirked.

"I take it that means you're B rank? Aren't you supposed to take a test for that?"

Yang blinked and smirked.

"For some the test is necessary. Rank isn't all about power you know; skills and tactics play a part. The test is mostly to help people who are physically weak but exceptional in some way to rise up. Like a person who specializes in buffing others. They may stay at C rank, but their buffs can be pretty amazing. The test is mostly for circumstances like that. IN my case I broke through to B rank a while ago."

Jaune mouthed the words broke through in confusion which Pyrrha caught on.

"What she means is that she ranked up. She broke past her limits at C and transitioned to B. It's different for everyone but it's entirely possible to be over level 100 and still be C rank in terms of magical potency. Ranks can play a large part in how our power is expressed. A high-level C rank can be a low-level B rank, but if the two were equal than the B rank always wins."

Jaune slowly started to get it. It would seem that the world of heroes had its own unique rules. You could have all the power in the world but if you were an idiot than you would never "rank up" in society. Power had to be tempered by intelligence and skill, thus making the guild tests necessary to weed out the incredibly stupid. But…that didn't remove the fact that Yang was already B rank!

"But aren't most graduates B rank? I mean…that's incredible if you're already that strong!" smiled Jaune.

Yang shrugged.

"Rank means little for graduating. Each "year" is separate by feats anyhow. Technically you could graduate in under a year if you do all the requirements. It's what my dad and his guild did anyways. Always thought it was just my dad boasting but what Ren said the other day from the manual seemed to fit."

Jaune blinked.

"That's…terrifying."

"Tell me about it" murmured Yang "I plan to take my time and learn all I can. Best to be prepared for the world outside than just rush through life."

"I think that's commendable" smiled Pyrrha.

The group took a left on one path, the sight of buildings becoming clear as the trees around them began to become sparser.

"Thanks" smiled Yang "but it's not just for that. I want to enjoy life as much as I can. Rushing to get a stressful job is just not my cup of tea…what were we talking about?"

"You were explaining the whole banned thing regarding A rank weapon. When Oobleck told me about that I got confused. Back home the Knights that worked with my mother all had high ranking equipment on at all times."

Man, he was getting good with the lying. It wasn't that the Knights back home never carried their weapons, but rather that Jaune just never took notice of it.

"Right right" muttered Yang.

"If I may" smiled Pyrrha, enjoying the atmosphere.

"Go for it".

"As Yang explained the difference between ranks grow as you climb higher but that also means the difference within the ranks increase as well. You'll notice that me and Yang are roughly the same in power?"

Jaune shrugged. He'll pretend he did.

"Kind of getting used to feeling Mana but I'm still not that great" he chuckled.

He may have been a magic class, but that didn't remove the fact he only had it for a short time.

"Than focus on me as much as you can" smiled Pyrrha.

So Jaune did, trusting Pyrrha's hand that was now guiding him as he closed his eyes. He…he felt nothing. Everything was as it should be. Suddenly Pyrrha, who he could feel through her hand, surged in power. It felt as if the mana within her increased substantially.

"What the?" muttered Jaune.

Yang whistled.

"Nice!" she chuckled.

Yang's own power increased, matching Pyrrha pace for pace unbeknownst to Jaune. The champion looked at the brawler, her eyes shining in respect. While she lacked the ability to properly inspect mana, that doesn't mean she couldn't feel such a shift so close.

"You have such great control!" praised Pyrrha.

"Thanks" sighed Yang "my mother made sure that was the case."

The mood dimmed a bit at the mention of Yang's mother. But before anyone could ask Yang smiled.

"You can't reign in your mana yet right?"

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"I uh…didn't even know that was a thing?"

"That is why some people can't have A rank weapons in public" explained Yang "you have to be able to control the mana within the weapon and prevent it from lashing out. Most heroes don't bother learning it because our own mana don't harm people."

"Why is that?" asked Jaune.

Yang shrugged.

"Pretty straight forward honestly. We're all used to growing up surrounded by other people's mana. As such it would take a stupid amount of power for someone to affect others with just their mana alone. Most A ranks have that problem. If they can't interact…no that's not a good word for it…"

"Interface?" offered Jaune.

"That's a good one. Basically if you can't control your weapon's mana, you aren't allowed to have it out. It's illegal without a pass."

Jaune blinked as a sudden thought occurred to him. Yang rose an eyebrow as the group began to move past other students, now only a short distance from what seemed like a market of some sort.

"Are…are you telling me that there are weak A ranks?"

Yang smiled.

"Seems surreal I know but its true. The whole "The average A rank can defeat dozens of B ranks" is just an example of an A rank lower on the scale. A more powerful A rank could handle a hell of a lot more, even a few A ranks if they were strong enough."

"Its why S ranks are so rare" said Pyrrha "to break through A rank requires a lot of hard work certainly, but the sheer scale of power available within it is immense. To become S rank is a long journey…its why S ranks are considered to be special. One of a kind existences"

Yang nodded in agreement.

"Man I can't even imagine how it must feel to be that strong. But it's why I keep moving and getting stronger with every chance I get. Did you know the average Beacon student is C rank? It's because they're lazy in my opinion. I mean I just hit my twenties and I'm already B rank."

"So, B rank isn't normal for our age?"

Yang snorted.

"No, which is pathetic in my opinion. Ruby's B rank too and she's younger than I am, with a class that didn't even work properly to boot…although that had more to do with my…my mom's help."

"Are the others B rank to?" asked Jaune

"That may very well be the case" murmured Pyrrha "I can't sense mana very well but from what I've seen with the others they are stronger than the norm."

"Probably why the Mercenary guild went nuts over us."

Pyrrha drew forth a red spear from her inventory.

"Huh, that's the spear you used in the initiation right?"

Pyrrha blinked as she blushed.

"Oh yes! Beacon wasn't very comfortable with my using my preferred spear so I used my back up instead. I'm running low on some blade oil to take care of it so I was hoping to bring it some place."

"Oh?" smiled Yang "got a powerful hand me down too? Beacon tried to convince me to hand in my gauntlets because they were too powerful, but I told them to fuck off."

Jaune and Pyrrha stared at Yang.

"What?" she asked "not a chance in hell I'm weakening myself just because of some arbitrary sense of fairness. The world aint fair and neither am I. I'm strong enough to wield the gauntlets that I have through my own strength. If people don't think that's fair then they should have gone through more training dungeons as a kid."

"…I can see where you're coming from" muttered Jaune "so…to wield A ranks you need a license right?"

"Basically" said Yang "you go to a committee and show them that you can reign in your weapon and equipment's mana properly. Once you give proof, they give you a badge and off you go."

"Cool" said Jaune "so what about sub classes?"

Pyrrha stared at Jaune about to answer, but something caught her attention. Yang grunted as she pushed past an onlooker as well.

"I'd answer you…but it seems were here. Mind shelving that for later?"

"I don't mind but….oh dear" muttered Jaune.

The path had long opened to Beacon's grounds. For the last six minutes or so the group had been navigating the shops and services of Beacon's south end. The entire school was designed with five central locations.

The eastern sector was home to a strictly maintained wilderness. It was easily the largest area that Beacon owned and housed various species of Grimm and monsters. Students went there as a "Training" ground to grind some EXP. Due to the various costs the drops were given to Beacon academy rather than kept, but after initiation any dungeon drops were free to keep.

The southern sector was where Jaune and the others had just arrived from. The second largest portion of Beacon, it was the area that was the most architecturally diverse as the buildings were the guild houses of the students.

The North sector was home to Beacon's central trade center, The Merchant guild's own auction house. It was there that students could outright buy weapons and armor and trade amongst fellow students. It was there that most of the retail stores available to the students was located.

Finally, the western sector, the area Jaune and crew were in. Here was a location dedicated to the services of Beacon and was home to the labor caste that maintained the grounds and buildings. All the trade businesses were located here and played a fundamental role in maintaining Beacon as it was. It was also where the nobles of Beacon resided, keeping Beacon running through paperwork and economical skills. It was for this reason that the western sector was closest to the center, where the main school's tower was located.

Jaune blinked and frowned at what he saw, moving along the sidewalk of the western sector. Jaune and his friends had come for one building in particular, "CFVY Incorperated", and it was trashed to hell. A small one story building, it stood a small distance away from some of the larger stores and trade fronts. A small yard, double doors. It was classy, small, and broken.

But it wasn't broken due to negligence. There were holes in the windows and the door was broken down true, but it was obvious due to the small circles and bricks surrounded the debris of glass that something had occurred. There was a brown-haired woman talking to a portly man right out the broken doors. The scowl that some of the labor caste shot their way said something as well.

"Don't think we're welcome here right now" muttered Yang.

"Leave it to me" said Jaune.

Pyrrha went to speak but Jaune shook his head. He went to the closest man he could find, a young man named Yatsuhashi, a Carpenter. The man was easily Jaune's superior in height and had a massive great sword strapped to his back. Jaune knew the design was not meant for combat, but rather for chopping down trees, the serrated edge working for that function. The bulging muscle spoke of years of discipline while the man's hands spoke of experience with his trade. Didn't remove the fact that the man himself looked more threatening than most A rank's Jaune had seen. The man probably used the great sword to cut trees in one strike and probably fought bears for the hell of it.

"Do you mind if I ask what happened?" asked Jaune.

The man rose an eyebrow, looking at Jaune's class. He blinked and then shrugged.

"Someone trashed Coco's place, again."

"You seem to know a bit about it."

"I should, considering I work for her" said the man "but the real question is why you'd care?"

"I came to hire her. Velvet invited me to hire your services, but if you guys are busy, I understand."

"Definitely don't talk like your average hero…ah I shouldn't say that" muttered the giant "most of them heroes are alright. The names Yatsuhashi, come with me."

Jaune nodded and jerked his head for Yang and Pyrrha to follow. The two ignored the whispers and glares of a few of the labor classes around them.

"Don't mind the mess" sighed Yatsuhashi "it's just another dispute with some noble kids."

"Then why the hell are we getting glared at?" muttered Yang.

She was sadly ignored.

"Is it bad?" asked Pyrrha.

"Never went this far till today. Coco's got some…competition to put it lightly. They don't like what she represents."

"And that would be?" asked Yang.

The giant smiled as he led the group through the broken doors.

"Change."

Jaune noticed the woman talking to the portly man, Coco, and that her class was "Designer".

The class was colored like any labor caste. The difference was that the class shone a bright silver hue rather than a decrepit grey.

"Like Ruby's" he muttered, after he created the Scythe for her Ruby's class shone brightly as well. Ren's too now that Jaune thought about it. Thankfully the building inside was not as damaged. Some broken glass but nothing substantial. There were some house designed littered across the wall with various other pictures showcasing furniture and fabrics. In the center of the room was a desk, a young woman currently rummaging through some papers on it…a familiar young woman.

"Oh, its you!"

Jaune smiled at Velvet as she manned the counter. She didn't seem worse for wear, but as Jaune learned she was stronger than meets the eye. She wore a brown apron over a pair of jeans and a thick shirt. She carried some design books and was putting them back where they belonged under her desk.

"Seems you got hit hard" muttered Yang.

"Yes" sighed Velvet "the dangers of working with the Honest Monster's sister."

"Wait…you mean the chick outside? you mean she's!?" whispered Yang.

Velvet nodded.

"I hope that doesn't turn you away."

"I couldn't care less…not that I understand what you're actually talking about" grumbled Jaune "I came to get an appraisal and price for repairing our guild house."

"Fantastic!" smiled Velvet "where is your guild house located? We'll send a representative to appraise the house as soon as we can".

A darker skinned man walked behind Velvet, his class a green hue subjecting him as a "Noble". The most basic of the noble classes, as the name would suggest, but it also carried the most diverse skill set within the caste. A common theme that was present in both the Hero and Labor castes, with both being named after the first class of their respective castes.

"We have the old Phantom guild building."

Velvet blinked.

"Pardon?"

"We got the haunted guild, cleared it, and now we own it" snipped Yang.

"…..Huh" muttered Velvet "are you up for seeing that house again fox?"

The man grunted. He straightened his black suit as his eyes closed in concentration.

"No need. I have the schematics already memorized. Based on the specs we have on hand" said Fox, whose eyes were glowing green signifying some kind of skill. The creepy part was that the glow encompassed his entire eye, rather than just the iris "the estimated costs, assuming we must repair everything, with cheap materials…low cost furniture…and shipping expenses….plus labor…your total is 481,383 lien…maybe."

"Well we're screwed" muttered Yang.

"Is it possible to just reform a room or two?" asked Jaune.

Fox nodded.

"Of course, depending the foundation is sound."

"…define sound?" asked Pyrrha.

Before Fox could open his mouth Pyrrha interjected.

"I uh…I meant that quite literally, I'm sorry. I don't know much about this kind of thing."

"Oh, certainly" he smiled "I am referring to the structural integrity of the foundation. Buildings such as yours rely on key points within their designs to handle weight. If those points are broken than the building is not sound. As such it is not safe to live in. Thanks to certain regents and skills such repairs are possible without tearing down the building…but it can be expensive."

"We've had stuff falling on us and Weiss did mention that the mana keeping the whole place together was dissipating" admitted Jaune.

"I see" muttered Fox "well just to repair the foundation alone is worth 40,000 lien. Before you ask" interrupted the man "this cost is mostly for the catalysts required for the skill to function as intended."

"I didn't know skills needed catalysts?" muttered Yang.

"A lot of labor skills require them" said Jaune "but not in the way you think. Catalysts influence the skills in different ways, with some outright changing the effects in some cases. Don't ask me why, magic is just weird."

Everyone murmured in agreement to that. Jaune had a theory though that the regents were a method to make up for the lack of power or skill of the user of said skill. But alas that didn't account for some skills changing their effects outright.

Alas thoughts for another time.

"Forty grand isn't in our pay grade" sighed Yang "thanks for being straight with us though."

Fox nodded. He stood straighter as he bowed.

"Welcome back Coco."

"Fox I swear you got to stop doing that."

"I was hired by Isiah to be your personal assistant. As we both know, you need it."

The man smiled as he rolled his shoulders. For some reason Jaune knew there was more to Fox than what met the eye. He…the man seemed saturated in power and yet was much weaker than someone like Pyrrha.

Or was he?

"I don't need the sass" sighed Coco "give me the gist."

Fox cleared his throat as he gestured to Jaune and crew.

"They wish for us to repair their guild."

"Can they pay?"

"No, but to be fair they inherited the old Phantom guild building."

Coco blinked and narrowed her eyes at Jaune and the others.

"Just to be clear, you guys are referring to that massive guild house out in the woods. The creepy haunted one?"

They all nodded.

"Hmm…Yatsuhashi, do you remembered what Isiah told us was the best way to start up a business?"

"To be easily accessible and noticeable, but what does his advice on store management have….Coco no."

Coco grinned like the devil as her class shimmered just like her eyes. A shade of silver.

"Coco yes" she chuckled "you kids are in luck."

Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"A one time, take it or leave it, offer" said Coco "as you can tell our place got trashed. To be honest its not the first time."

Jaune rose a hand.

"Before you tell us about this offer…why are you getting trashed all the time? Does this have to do with…Velvet?"

Jaune blinked as the bunny girl kept swiping at her neck while cringing. What, he was curious.

"What about Velvet?" whispered Coco.

Velvet smiled wearily as she shrugged her shoulders.

"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle Coco."

Coco rose an eyebrow before she locked eyes with Fox.

"She will be escorted from now on" he smiled.

A dangerous glint echoed in Fox's white eyes. He straightened his suit again as a small burst of killing intent echoed in his actions. Completely unnoticeable…save for one. After what happened in the trick dungeon…after what he suffered, Jaune had become acutely aware of the urge to kill that came from others. He narrowed his eyes at Fox, who merely looked at the boy with surprise.

"Good" sighed Coco "and about the store, its nothing to be concerned about. It's just a bunch of noble whiners that have a bone to pick with my brother in law. They don't like how he married lower than them but they can't take it out on him. He'd crush them in an instant after all."

The respect was clear in Coco's voice that much Jaune could tell.

"So, they send their kids to take it out on you? Isn't that a little backwards?"

Coco grinned.

"Tell me about it. Most Nobles aren't that stupid. Honestly, most of them just do their jobs and go home. It's the really stupid ones that think nobility means ROYALTY that are the issue. The nobles I'm dealing with are that special kind of stupid. It wouldn't surprise me if Isiah already dealt with them."

"I see. So…what does this have to do with your offer?"  
"Well" smiled Coco "I've been meaning to move out of this location for a while, get away from the refuse if you will. Our building is noticeable, but honestly most heroes go through recommendations and word of mouth, rather than actually come here and check the numerous businesses available. We work for Beacon so our living is secure. But, I want more" she explained "and what we have here is a golden opportunity to achieve just that."

Coco grinned as her silver eyes were practically beaming, before they slowly faded away to her usual brown.

"So, my offer is this. Let us move into that huge building you got. We'll take the eastern wing as our new reception hall. In return we'll repair the foundation for free and have reduced costs for any further improvements. You can consider that little deal as our form of rent. Not only will we have a direct access to all sorts of clients, but we get to use a bit of your fame once news gets out. Speaking of which, are they telling the truth Fox?"

The red-haired man was already beside Coco, a folder in his hands. Jaune and the others flinched back wondering how the hell the man moved that fast. It was nothing like how Ruby and Blake moved.

"How did he?"

"You get use to it" sighed Velvet "just roll with it."

Fox continued on as if they were not talking about him, handing the folder of files to Coco.

"Yes. The files indicate that they do indeed own the old guild house. It was updated merely moments ago."

"Excellent. So, what do you say?"

"I think we should-"

"DEAL!" interrupted Yang.

Pyrrha stared at the blonde as Jaune sighed.

"Hey don't look at me like that" grumbled Yang "not like we were going to use the entire guild anyways. Eight of us in that huge place is just nuts. Not to mention we don't have any functioning toilets. I may enjoy kicking it out in the woods every once in a while but I refuse to live in a house without a damn toilet! You guys can fix those first, right?"

Coco grimaced as she looked at Yatsuhashi.

"We got enough extra material on hand for a couple of bathrooms right?"

"We still have a few things" said the giant "but we'll have to get a second toilet set if you want more than one."

"Good enough for now" grumbled Coco "I'll include that with the foundation repairs."

Yang smiled and gave Coco the thumbs up.

"We'll probably be able to begin repairs and move in starting tomorrow. Still need all that paper work signed and what not" grumbled the designer "I'll send someone over for you guys to sign on your end later today. Anything else you want?"

"Yes actually."

Everyone turned to Jaune who was busy staring at the back room.

"Are any of those for sale?"

Coco blinked.

"You…you mean the raw material?"

The raw material that was haphazardly stacked together in the back.

"Yes."

"….which ones?"

"Any."

Coco blinked again and stared at his class.

"Are…aren't you some kind of mage class? Why on earth would you want basic materials for if all you do is create magical constru…..holy fucking shit" stated Coco.

Yatsuhashi sighed as he rubbed his forehead but even he looked suprised. Fox smiled as he tried to hold in a snort. Velvet was already use to her friends' mouth.

"Coco we've talked about the language."

"HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT" muttered Coco "A prestige labor caste. Never thought I'd see the day. Then again Isiah is an S rank Noble so it shouldn't be that big of a surprise."

Jaune ignored the whole S rank nobility thing and focused on Coco's spreading grin. Her eyes shone like she just hit the mother load. A dark chuckle spread from her chest as she cliked her tounge.

"Oh the Merchant guild would kill for this!" she chuckled "the back room is for sale sure. But not everything, so pick carefully. Kind of curious to see what your deal is though. If you don't make constructs with magic than what do you do? You an Alchemist of some sort? A blacksmith? Hell, a tailor?"

"Uh….technically all of those and an enchanter."

Coco blinked as Velvet stared at him.

"….Oh we're going to get along just fine" chuckled Coco "beautifully even. Gonna warn you ahead of time 'Craftsman', I might have a project or two for you in the future."

"Well I'm definitely interested in see what you propose" smiled Jaune.

Any chance of further honing his abilities wasn't something Jaune was going to throw away. Coco turned her attention to Yang and Pyrrha as she asked Fox to escort Jaune to the back rooms.

"So, anything in particular you two want? I know how living with guys can be."

"Well thanks for that" muttered Jaune.

"Forgive her brashness" smiled Fox "she does mean well. She takes after her sister and her husband."

"I don't mind, really" said Jaune "just wondering why she would just…move in with people she doesn't even know."

"Opportunity only knocks once as Isiah would say. Right now we cannot move into the area, considering all the land has been put on hold through the merchant guild. We have our own circumstances that make this situation ideal, so please be assured. Not to mention that living with heroes can…urge away the worst of the bunch shall we say."

Jaune shrugged. He wasn't against a symbiotic relationship. They weren't friends, merely two groups working together to make the most of their living situation.

"I must say I'm surprised that someone of your caste was able to sense what the others could not. I should have reigned it in I admit but the thought that Velvet may have been harassed, or worse."

Jaune shrugged.

"I get it, no worries. It's not my first time experiencing something like that."

The giant from the trick room came to mind and….

And Uther.

"I see" murmured Fox "you have experienced much."

Jaune simply nodded. Fox smiled as he gestured towards a few different species of wood and widely colored stone.

"These are some of our more…varied materials. We have some marble in another room as well if that's what you're interested in?"

Jaune pursed his lips as he went through. While wood was the commonly used handle for various weapons, that wasn't what he was looking for. While Jaune's structural analysis was a failure, it was not a complete failure. What little he learned about the shards of Dun Scaith was that it was very unique in its composition. Two key facts made Jaune both excited and weary for using this unique material. The bad news? it's mana eroded anything that stayed in constant contact for long periods of time.

The dark energy of Dun Scaith ensured that anything too weak would eventually encounter negitive side effects. In the case of individuals themselves, so long as they were strong enough, they were fine. Their own mana would protect them. Not that said issue would be a problem as Jaune planned to use the crystals for blades, thus protecting the user from even needing to protect themselves. As such came the issue of what the handle would be.

The good news? The crystals themselves were highly synergetic. There was a resonance between the two broken parts that would allow Jaune some leeway in their makeup. They had the capability of sharing whatever was engraved between the two parts. This basically meant that Jaune had more options when it came to what runes he could use in their creation. All Jaune needed was something that could synergize with the crystals and was not organic.

What he needed, was stone. What better place to find stone than the people who built houses with it?

…Jaune would admit he knew little about architecture and the businesses attached to them, but in this instance, he lucked out. The stone here were all unique in ways Jaune knew their current owners were unaware of.

Marble from the deserts of Vacuo, Obsidian located within the heart of Atlas's volcanos, the red granite-

"Oooh…this will work wonderfully" smiled Jaune.

"An…inspired choice" muttered Fox "no one has ever used this stone before, but Coco believes in having a diverse product line…I owe her money for this don't it" he muttered.

The stone in Jaune's hands was, to the unknowing eye, just black rock. Beautiful in the way that it was purely black with a brilliant luster. But it was no stronger than normal granite and perhaps a bit lighter as well. With his inspection, it told a very different story.

**INSPECT: **

**Umbral Stone (Rank: C)**

**Umbral geodes are found deep within the chasms of the sea and far away from any form of light. They are commonly found from the aftereffects of earthquakes, as the pressure shoots them up from the sea. As such finding this stone is quite the hassle. While the stone lacks any magical presence, it has the ability to absorb all forms of light and magic, thus giving it a beautiful black luster. This ability is extremely limited. For years magic users and experimenters have tried in vain to use the stones absorbing capabilities in some creations. A few Alchemists attempted to create weapons from the material, but lacked the knowledge that mana could escape and degrade from a material if they were not careful, resulting in failures. Depending on the circumstances some Umbral stone carry more magic than others.**

That was all Jaune needed. Unlike the alchemists who failed in the past, Jaune's whole class was centered around the idea of using mana to enhance, alter, and infuse the materials he worked with. Already Jaune had casted structural analysis, infusing his mana into the material. He could feel that this stone was unnaturally in tuned with his…

Jaune forcibly ripped his mana out of the stone as quickly as he could. Unlike the crystals of Dun Scaith, his mana was far easier to control and move around.

"What happened?" asked Fox.

"This stone kept absorbing my mana. If I let it, it will just transform from adapting to my mana. This is perfect, how much for one cubic meter?"

"_Better to have too much than too little" _thought Jaune.

Fox disappeared.

He literally disappeared.

Jaune didn't even blink the man was just gone. Than he reappeared a moment later. Jaune's nose twitched as he sensed the mana Fox just used. The man look no worse for wear yet he used such a large amount of mana just to disappear!?

"Coco said the price for one cubic meter will be 450 lien"

Jaune blinked, realizing that Fox that fox said something and activated his inventory. Jaune always had money on him in his inventory but ever since his reawakening his money had been far more organized. With a simple deduction he took out 450 lien from the 2157 that he currently had.

"Thank you for your business" smiled Fox.

The man's blind eyes stared unflinching at Jaune and the younger dragon just smiled politely. No need to piss off the overly powered Noble.

If he even was a noble in the first place.

Jaune found a perfectly cut square of Umbral stone to one cubic meter beside him.

"You guys work quick" smiled Jaune.

"It's what we do" smiled Fox "you'll find that no other is more effective in the business than we are."

Jaune couldn't help but smile. Fox never said the fastest nor the most skilled. Merely the most efficient. A great way to sell a business that just started out.

"Well we're going to work together from now on so the name's Jaune."

The noble blinked and then smiled warmly.

"I am Fox, I'm sorry if my presence can be a little…overwhelming from time to time."

Jaune shrugged.

"It won't be a problem with me, don't worry about that. We'll see you guys tomorrow."

"WE will be punctual. Expect us for 9 AM"

"MAKE IT 11!" yelled Coco.

"Expect us for 11AM" stated Fox.

Jaune blinked at the theatrics but nodded.

"Alrighty than."

With that Jaune lifted the cubic Umbral stone and began to make his way out. He couldn't afford to put it in inventory, no telling what would happen to the material.

"Ready to go?" asked Jaune.

Yang seemed to be looking over some design plans that Coco had pulled out.

"Yea, were ready. So you guys need the entire east wing?"

Coco nodded.

"Yea. But if it turns out to be as big as you describe we'll just change our plans."

"Ok" muttered Yang "we'll see how this partnership turns out."

Coco held out her hand and Yang shook it. Pyrrha was talking with Velvet about something, the bunny girl smiling away as she gestured towards a piece of fabric shown on the wall. Jaune made his way to the door and the others soon followed.

"Till we meet again!" said Pyrrha.

"So, you got the stone" smiled Yang "Now we just have to wait to get a forge and we're good to go!"

"I'm starting the second we get home."

"I'm sorry what?" asked Yang.

"I don't need a forge, not for these materials. The heat would just turn the stone to magma and would destroy the crystal. My magic may let materials go to forging temperatures, but that's dependent on the material itself. Heating up a crystal doesn't make it more malleable without changing the structure of the crystal in the first place. For all I know doing so could destroy the shard or just leak even more mana. In short, there's no point in using a forge. Normal tools will be ineffective as well. The chisel will let me roughly shape the crystal and stone, but the rest I'll have to use my skills for."

"You've really thought this through" muttered Pyrrha.

"Not really" said Jaune with a shrug "the best amongst the labor caste have to think this way. What we lack in power we have to make up for with innovation. At least, that was the case before recently" he smiled.

"I've always wondered" muttered Yang "why is it that you're the one to create the first man made B rank weapon? I mean we have Alchemists, don't we?"

Jaune thought about it for a minute.

"The issue isn't power but skills" said Jaune "Alchemists have the skills needed to transmute objects into other objects. Ingredients into potions, materials into bombs, and other stuff. My class requires materials too, but I combine them to varying digrees. Honestly I think if labor and mage classes worked together there would have been a break through to B rank long before I came into the picture."

"The class divides" muttered Pyrrha bitterly "too many heroes and nobles consider the labor caste a waste."

Jaune chuckled a bit.

"Perhaps. But the labor caste also consider the heroes and nobles useless".

Pyrrha and Yang blinked.

"Seriously?" asked Yang.

Jaune nodded.

"You'd be surprised how many labor caste will stand up and say we can defend ourselves and govern ourselves without help. Than get murdered along with their entire village when they try it. It's not that we can't defend ourselves it just that we're not suited for fighting."

"You seem to do it pretty good" chuckled Yang.

"Yea but my mom is considered the strongest S rank warrior to date, not to mention I'm more dragon than human."

Jaune kept walking but noticed that the others stopped following. He turned back to look at them, confusion written on his face.

"What's with you two?"

"Uhhh".

"….It's the whole dragon thing isn't it."

"A little" chuckled Pyrrha "I just wasn't expecting it."

"Guess the PenDRAGON part was quite literal" said Yang "so what you secretly turn into a dragon or something?"

"Nah" muttered Jaune "although that would be awesome. I'm just…a human shaped dragon. Got all the perks and weaknesses. That's why I can't really consider myself a standard Labor Caste."

"Fair" muttered Pyrrha "but you seem like you don't think the divide between the castes is a problem?"

"Do I?" asked Jaune "don't really mean to come across that way. It's just most of the people I know don't care about that. Hell we have a Hero Labor couple back in my village and an accountant whose husband is a farmer. It's really just the odd ones out that care about castes."

Yang blinked.

"Where I'm from class is everything. Literally everything. I was always told I'll be a great hero, even from the labor class people. When Ruby's class was useless, everyone treated her like she was…crippled or lesser."

Jaune looked at Yang with shock.

"Seriously!?" he whispered.

Pyrrha nodded as well.

"It is the same back home. The laborers are considered to be the providers of our society. While there is respect the labor caste is still expected to bend to the whims of the hero class. I know quite a few who have abused that authority."

Pyrrha sighed as she shook her head.

"The world truly is vast" said Pyrrha "I've come across places and communities that are so different from my own. It was scary at first…but I've come to enjoy just how different everything can be."

Jaune smiled as well.

"I'm happy as well. It let me get to meet people like Yang and you Pyrrha."

Pyrrha blushed a bit as she looked to the side. She rubbed her arm but scowled as Yang looked at her with cooing eyes.

"I'll be heading to the basement" said Jaune "I plan to use the Alchemist table there."

"Nice" said Yang "….you know I enjoyed this walk. Learned quite a bit today too. Just one day and I'm already…relaxed. Like the world and all its bullshit is just…far away."

"I know what you mean" said Pyrrha "…I think I can see why some people take years graduating from this place."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there" said Jaune "I don't really have any future plans, not until my mother is free."

Yang grimaced but nodded all the same.

"Still can't believe that kind of shit can happen" she muttered "but I get it. We'll help however we can. Within reason".

Jaune didn't blame her for that last part. Going against the mage classes of Atlas was like going against the Royalty of Vale. Not something to be done without a very, VERY good reason.

"Thanks" smiled Jaune "it does mean a lot to have allies in this. But don't worry, I won't be leaving for Atlas for a while yet. I'm not confident my dismantle skill is anywhere near strong enough for what I'm planning to do."

Pyrrha seemed to sigh in relief while Yang just looked at her with a knowing look. The girl blushed as she crossed her arms. Once again the run down guild house was out in the open.

"Doesn't seem like anyone is home" said Jaune.

"Oh because you can tell in this huge ass place" muttered Yang.

Jaune mouthed at Yang her words back with a patronizing face while Yang just flipped him the bird.

"When you see Blake, tell her I need her in the basement when she gets back. I'm solving her knife problem."

"Knife problem?" muttered Pyrrha.

As the trio entered the house Jaune made his way to the basement.

"I need some time alone to figure this stuff out" said Jaune "send Blake when she gets back."

Yang blinked as she looked at Pyrrha.

"Needs some time alone to figure it out but wants Blake when she gets back?"

Pyrrha shrugged as she lifted a piece of debris.

"Might as well clear any debris that we can find" said Pyrrha "it's not as if we have anything else to do."

Yang sighed as she followed suit.

"The second we have money we are shopping for clothes" sighed Yang "I'm getting tired of wearing all my different dungeon gear."

Pyrrha shrugged, not really caring. In Mistrallian culture it the norm for hero fashion to function both for fashion and combat. As such it wasn't unusual for Pyrrha to wear something like her combat gear as clothes. She carried three different outfits but they would need to be washed soon. Hopefully Coco could help with that.

"Who knows, maybe we can find some clothes that will get Jaune staring at your ass more."

Yang ducked under a rock as she laughed.

"YANG!" yelled Pyrrha, her face like a tomato.

"What? I've seen the way you look at him. Gotta say, surprised a girl from Mistral would even look at a Labor boy."

Pyrrha blushed even harder as she turned her head to the side.

"I learned early on that class means nothing when it comes to love."

"Oh so you love him now?"

"NO! Of course not" said Pyrrha "I'm just interested in getting…you are horrible".

Yang grinned as she picked up another broken beam.

"Come on, live a little" chuckled Yang.

As the blonde walked away Pyrrha couldn't help but smile. She had never been ribbed by friends before…although calling her past acquaintances friends was generous to say the least. This entire group…was a breath of fresh air in different ways. Pyrrha smiled as she lifted a large beam over her shoulder.

"Where do you think we should put this?"

Yang shrugged.

"Might as well burn it near the front tonight and have a fire. Jaune should be able to burn it all."

With that, the due began to work. The truth was that what was garbage was actually quite small. While the house had certainly degraded, the amount of debris was far and in between. It would still take hours, but it wasn't that big a deal.

**-1 and a half hours later-**

"Well at least we got the east wing and all the rooms cleared out" muttered Yang.

Pyrrha nodded as she took a sip of water from a bottle she carried in her inventory.

"I am actually a little hungry" smiled Pyrrha "do you know if Ruby and the others should be home soon?"

A thump echoed through the east wing.

"Hopefully that's them" muttered Yang "I'm starving."

The two B rank heroes moved quickly. By the time they reached the front it was just in time to see Weiss sitting on one of the stair cases and Blake laying some papers down.

"Explain to me why I just had to sign a paper allowing a masonry company to live on our premises?" asked Weiss.

"Well."

Weiss held a hand up and sighed.

"I was being sarcastic, it was in the paper…I'm sorry I'm just so out of it."

Pyrrha rose an eyebrow, about to ask when Blake answered for her.

"We were heckled by the Merchant guild. They made it clear that they don't…appreciate that we managed to squeeze past them."

"So doesn't look like we'll be buying things on campus. Crap. It's at least 45 minutes to get to the main city" muttered Yang.

"I might have an alternative. They'll be sending him tomorrow for some more details."

Weiss groaned as she slowly stood up, the bags under her eyes standing out.

"Alright" said Weiss "let's get the last of the papers signed and figured out."

Yang picked up the papers and shook her head.

"Nice try missy. You exhausted yourself this morning with all that magic stuff you did with Glynda and Oobleck. Get some rest, seriously."

Weiss blinked slowly and yawned. She stretched a bit as she nodded.

"Do we have anywhere we can lay her down?" asked Pyrrha.

"There was a few beds" said Blake "but the sheets are ruined. The portal and mana must have kept the bugs away cause the mattresses were fine."

Yang raised an eyebrow at Blake.

"Man you really explored this place."

Blake shrugged, her semblance once again on and making her meld with the shadows.

"Blake-".

"Sorry" muttered the feline "its just a habit of mine."

She reappeared but Pyrrha just chuckled.

"No, I meant that Jaune wanted to see when you got back."

Yang smiled as she nudged an exhausted Weiss.

"I'll take sleeping beauty here for a nap. I got some cloth in my inventory that she can use as a blanket and pillow. Where's the room?"

"Upstairs" said Blake.

"Cool."

Blake made her way to the basement door with Pyrrha as Yang went upstairs.

"I'm surprised how quickly you managed to explore the whole building" said Pyrrha.

Blake shrugged.

"Nothing special. When I create my clones they can move through shadows. I basically just switched with each of them to get through the house quickly."

"That's your passive?" asked Pyrrha.

"Yes. Shadow dancing, I know same name as my class, is me becoming one with the shadows around me. It barely takes any mana to blend in, but it takes a lot to switch with a clone."

"That…actually sounds increadible" muttered Pyrrha "that's basically teleportation isn't it?"

Blake nodded as the duo moved down the stairs.

"It can be powerful, but the mana cost makes sure I can't use it constantly."

Screeeeeeeeeeeeee.

"Is that Jaune?" asked Pyrrha.

"Probably."

As the two got to the basement, they noticed wisps of black escaping the door that led to the alchemist table. The door than blew of its hinges as a torrent of black energy escaped from the room.

"JAUNE!"

**-Jaune's Perspective, five minutes ago-. **

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

"Almost there" muttered Jaune.

Jaune was using a combination of Alteration and Grind to form the shape of the Dun Scaith shards. Alteration was used to make the pieces condense and form the rough shape of two blades. The two dark purple crystals were now fourteen inches in length. Seven inches were used for the blades, with the remaining being used to integrate with the Umbral stone for the handle. The plan was to follow a similar merging that was used for Ruby's scythe. In his previous build the branch of Gae Derg used its consciousness to branch into the metal, spreading and merging with the steel far more effectively than normal methods.

The B rank crystal did not move as smoothly but it was certainly possible. Bits of black energy seeped from the crystal as Jaune struggled to contain the mana within it. It fought against him like a rapid animal. It was like a river contained within a bottle, it would escape if given the chance.

Jaune couldn't let it. He maintained his focus as his mana kept the power of the shards within it. But he began to take a step forward. The fact was that the mana within the shards were rampaging. It wwas trying to leak through the openings that Jaune's own mana was making. The goal was to make that mana remain and merge with all the materials and runes that Jaune was planning to implement. That was the only way the weapon would remain B rank. If he simply slapped it together and hoped for the best, he had no doubt the weapon would just be brittle and weak. So, rather than simply fight against it, Jaune decided to test an idea and see if he could truly allow the mana of the materials work in perfect unity, rather than simply smashing it together like he did with Crimson Rose.

The first goal had already been completed. The rough shape of the weapon. Free styling the Grind Skill in combination with the Alteration Skill gave Jaune more freedom to use the skill as he wished. But in return, that freedom came with an increase in difficulty. No longer was the skill doing all the work, as Jaune needed to focus and maintain his concentration if he wanted to keep the skill grinding away outside of its usual parameters. Jaune wasn't just grinding an edge but grinding away all the unnecessary mass as well. Until he stopped working on it, the mana within the crystals would just rampage. Thankfully Jaune didn't have to worry about heat. Thanks to the magical nature of the Grind Skill, the heat from the friction was nonexistent.

Sometimes you just had to love magical bullshit. Until said bullshit bit back.

Jaune kept the width of the crystals to three inches.

With a sigh Jaune withdrew his mana and rolled his shoulders. The rough shape of the crystals have been completed. Jaune went to the one-meter piece of Umbral stone and with his hammer and chisel broke a fist sized chuck off.

Thankfully Umbral stone was far easier to work with thanks to both to its makeup and rank. Jaune used inspect on the Dun Scaith crystals behind him and smiled at what he saw. The same Rank and description.

"So far so good" muttered Jaune "now the hard part."

Jaune could tell that what he had done to the crystals had only made a small opening in their magic structure. A small barely noticeable hole. He had yet to face the full weight of its power in this crafting endeavor. Yet there was no frown to be seen on his face. Only a savage grin fit for a beast as the excitement began to take hold.

"Alright" smiled Jaune "lets try something new."

Before, Jaune had completed the weapon, than engraved the runes in both the metal and wood. In a way he was just engraving runes into a completed form. Today he was going to try something different. What would happen if he engraved the runes into the Umbral stone before he fitted it with the Dun Scaith crystal? Would it become incompatible? More difficult to implement? Perhaps it would in fact become easier to put together?

There was so much that wasn't known that Jaune had become found himself on the frontier with. The only way to know, was to simply keep pushing. Jaune already had a rough idea what he wanted these pair of blades to do. He took inspiration from a pair of swords his dad once shown him. A particular ability that Jaune knew would be a big boon to Blake. There was no doubt in Jaune's mind who this weapon should have been for from the start. Blake had found the material in the first place, not to mention had lost a few of her knives in their initiation and in the raid of this very building.

Scathach had shown Jaune and entire library of runes, words that he couldn't have learned this quickly without help. It annoyed him that he was using such a thing, power that he had not earned on his own. But there was a time for pride to take hold…and this was not it. If he wanted to get stronger…than he would use any means available to him. Scathach was one…the other was the very system itself.

As such, Jaune engraved on word on both the pieces of Umbral stone that he was using as grips. With the chisel the word "Return" was engraved on both pieces. The pieces of Umbral stone were not altered yet, mainly because Jaune wanted to make sure that as much of the shards mana could be infused within the stone as possible.

And with that...Jaune started.

He placed the pieces of Umbral stone on the bottom of each of the blades. Jaune's eyes glowed red as he activated structural analysis and alteration at the same time. Before he just used skills together to gain the bonuses. But now, he knew the truth. Structural analysis allowed Jaune to understand what he was doing with Alteration, allowing for far greater control at the cost of unpredictable mana costs. He was using both skills constantly and in nuisance. Together they were more effective and far more costly. Jaune placed his hands on the crystal and Umbral stone.

Then the room exploded.

His vision turned black as the mana within the crystal and stone poured out at Jaune, ripping at his skin.

**WARNING!  
The Player's Rank is C+!**

**The Player is too weak to interface with this material without assistance. The player as lost 150 Health!**

**The player has lost 150 health!**

**The player lost 150 health!**

Jaune felt the cold black mana ripping at his hands. He was pretty sure that he heard someone scream his name too. The mana kept surging past him, a raging river screaming to be let loose. This was not mana sickness, but the raw mana escaping from the material because Jaune was too weak.

"_Too weak?"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune gritted his teeth, glaring at the materials obscured by a sea of dark. He was too weak?

"WHO DECIDED THAT" grunted Jaune.

Jaune growled as his mana surged from within him. He was worried about breaking the materials with his fire. But now?

Who the hell cared?

Fire burned from Jaune's back and it reached out from behind him. A war of mana began to play out, as the darkness aggressively fought against the flames.

**Alert!**

**Perquisites have been met! Unlocking OST: **

**Stand Up Be Strong by: Shiro Sagisu**

It didn't have any sentience whatsoever, but that didn't stop Jaune from grinning at the materials beneath him.

"You think! A little pain! Will stop me!?"

Jaune's fire roared, screaming against the void. Jaune took another hit, losing more health.

"Too weak?" muttered Jaune "than…I'll just be stronger!"

The flames began to coil around the black mana, dragging it back to Jaune. Jaune grunted as the black mana forced its way through his body. His hands began to crack and bleed as raw unfiltered mana began to leak back into the materials. The Umbral stone slowly began to change its shape, wrapping around the portions of the crystal that weren't edged.

What was the difference between ranks?

"Not yet" grunted Jaune.

Was it simply the amount of mana?

"More…I need more!"

No. The ranks were separated not by amount, but by potency. The greater the potency, the more powerful the mana was.

"Failing here isn't an option" growled Jaune, fire leaking from his mouth.

So than, how do humans rank up? Levelling was an undisputed part of it yes, but to break through each rank required something special.

CRACK!

Jaune howled as a part of his finger splintered, black mana leaking from him.

"_Just because I can stop here"_ he thought _"doesn't mean I should. If all I do is take the easy way, then I'll never get anywhere! I don't have the time to play it safe anymore!"_

Every person, no matter their pedigree, faced a wall at some point. A wall they must overcome if they wish to transcend and keep growing stronger. Much like the rankings, these walls progressively get more difficult as you climb through. Yang was right. Laziness played a huge role in why her age group barely had any B ranks, even if it was very much possible to achieve. One way was to take the guild tests, but that required connections. The other? The other was to simply become that powerful in the first place. The answer for such laziness, was in this moment.

Jaune took a breath and with his will called upon his mana. Yang had mentioned that part of being able to wield A rank weapons in public was in controlling the mana of said weapon. If some hero class with no damn labor skills could pull it off, so could Jaune. With difficulty Jaune began to force the mana still creeping in his body, back through his hands, concentrating every scrap of will into keeping the crystals strong and steady.

"Come on" grunted Jaune "COME ON!"

The laziness as Yang put it, was in the fact that kids didn't want to bother pushing past their limits. Why should they? After all, they could have a far easier time doing so in an academy dedicated to their progress. But there was a hunger that was needed, a drive to keep getting stronger, that was necessary to push past your limits and become greater than what you were. If they lacked the will and just gave up easily then even a level 100 would never break past C

If you wanted power so much than you better work your ass off for it.

"I haven't lost yet!" yelled Jaune, his wild grin echoing a deep-seated desire to WIN!

"_This…THIS IS FUN!"_ thought Jaune as the darkness began to recede.

Jaune's zeal for battle had shown itself in this moment. Breaking through E to C was relatively simple. Most, like Jaune, never noticed that they did. But to begin breaking past B? That was an entirely different animal. Each rank was like a different league of power. A level 30 C rank was weaker than a level 30 B. Level played a crucial part, but it wasn't the deciding factor. Everyone could level up but if you wanted to become a greater rank, to push past your limits and achieve power greater than you currently held? Everyone had the chance to break through, a test of will that was as unique as each individual. It could come randomly, but only when the individual was strong enough to withstand ranking up. There was a lot undiscovered with ranking up, so many questions that people still didn't have an answer for, thus facilitating the need for a test, a chance for people that didn't have the required power to still shine and contribute. But there was one indisputable fact.

It was this fact that made most of the greatest guilds in the world only looked for those that ranked up early. Power was necessary in this world. Without power, without strength, then you would just likely be ignored.

Jaune, in the first time in his life, physically grabbed mana. His hand was wreathed in fired as he directed the mana back into the crystal, unknowingly struggling past a wall that some people never overcome. He wouldn't lose to anyone, not anymore. He lost the will to fight once.

He would never lose it again.

**ALERT!**

**Congratulations! The Player has now achieved B rank!**

**The players mana and physical abilities now reflect their new rank**.

For those wondering if that meant Jaune had an easier time with this?

It did not. Instead what it meant was that Jaune could no longer be harmed by the mana. In short, it was like riding a bull without having to worry about death. Alleviating in some ways, but still extremely difficult.

And this one just bucked him off. Most of the dark mana receded before Jaune's very eyes. Jaune scowling at the loss of power. But there was one avenue left open to him, a way to regain the power that was just lost. Jaune pumped the Umbral stone full of his mana, spreading said mana through the stone and into the crystal. Through Alteration Jaune was able to change the shape of the Umbral stone into a nice smooth grip, not unlike Ivory. He altered the stone to be as smooth and as comfortable as he could make it. The crystal began to spread and twist within the stone, gripping into it far greater than simply gluing it together, like some no name crap artists did. The stone was merely a cover, a way to protect the user from the corroding effect of the crystal. To destroy these knives would require a force to break a B rank weapon.

Jaune went to his side and withdrew his chisel, the tip glowing an ethereal blue. The handle was done, it was time to finish the blade. Jaune's flames still flickered around his body, the fire protectively wrapping around him.

Pyrrha and Blake took a step back, not expecting something like forging to get so violent. When the darkness had cleared, they had rushed in, hoping that Jaune was alright. Instead they found him laughing and grinning to the world.

The crystal hummed in power as Jaune drew runes into the crystal. The blade's edge was not straight. Instead Jaune had opted for a serrated design, so that the crystal to cut through flesh and catch onto metal. Its design was specifically aimed towards tearing through armor and ripping through flesh so as to do as much damage as possible. As such Jaune added the rune for "Serration" on the left blade. The two crystal blades shimmered with power as the rune appeared on the other blade as well.

"….huh" muttered Jaune.

Unexpected, but useful. Jaune struggled to fill the second rune, but he managed. The B rank material was strong, that much was certain, but the power of runes was not to be trifled with. Each blade had a total of three runes etched into their design.

The rune of Serration increased the cutting power, allowing for greater attack power.

The rune of return would, Jaune hoped, mimic the effect of his father's treasured blades to some degree.

Finally, the rune desecration. In other words, the "Bleed" rune. It ensured that the bleed effect was possible with this weapon and was capable of inducing a wide variety of other effects, so long as the user was capable. Jaune staggered back. The constant use of his skills in combination together and his battle against the B rank power within his materials had left Jaune dried out. But there was enough power for one last spell.

"Grind" whispered Jaune.

Saying it didn't add anything to the power of the skill, but it did add an air of finality to his product. The rough shape was now perfected. A fourteen-inch-long combat knife with a seven inch by three-inch blade. The edge was a bright white, a combination of the runes and Jaune's own mana leaking within it. The spine of the blade was the crystals original dark purple, with the grips being a rich black. The rune for return was a bright white and visible on the both handles, with the other two runes obscured by the blades rich purple.

The hilt was simply wrapped around the blade and handle, a small wrap to catch the hand as it gripped the blade. The two daggers pulsated with magic, black mana seeping from the entire weapon, outlining it as it hungrily looked for something.

"Better get the, OH you're already here" said Jaune.

Blake chuckled weakly as she waved. Pyrrha barreled past Blake as took Jaune's hands.

"Are you ok?" asked Pyrrha "I…I couldn't get in there. You had black energy erupting out of you and there was nothing we could…I'm sorry" sighed Pyrrha "I'm really just overreacting, aren't I?"

Jaune smiled as he took his ruined hands back.

"Don't worry about it" smiled Jaune "I'm happy that someone cares if I get hurt or not. It's sweet."

Pyrrha swallowed as she saw the cuts and bruises on Jaune's hands and arms.

"Is this what happened la….are you…"

Pyrrha's eyes widened as she felt the mana surrounding Jaune, a crimson aura that raged against the world.

"You broke through!"

Pyrrha smiled as she clasped Jaune on the shoulder.

"Congratulations!" said Pyrrha "breaking through at our age is an incredible achievement."

Blake smiled as well, shaking her head in worry.

"My parents were super excited when I broke through as well. Congrats, you were the only one of us that hadn't broken through."

Jaune simply smiled.

"Good to see I still have some catching up to do. Now, for you."

Jaune took a step aside and gestured to the black weapons leaking with power.

"Grab them" said Jaune "they're yours. Don't mind the mana, they're just looking to bond."

"They're…mine?" asked Blake.

As the Assassin based class moved towards the daggers, her semblance reacting to the mana the daggers exuded. Blake carefully picked up both daggers, letting them comfortably fit into her hands. The darkness receded as the mana slithered into Blake. She shivered a bit but was otherwise ok.

She inspected the daggers, smiling at what she saw.

**Inspect: **

**Twin Daggers: A Shadow's Duet (Rank: B)**

**A pair of daggers that share one existence. The crystal blades sing a song few can dance to, but are deadly with those that can dance with their symphony. They crave a partner that can dance with them and use their abilities to the fullest. Their aerodynamic design allows for them to be thrown just as well as they can be used in frontal combat.**

**Effect: 35% chance to inflict bleed with every strike. High bleed damage can be stacked twice. Due to the user being an Assassin based class, these daggers have the ability to return to their user when thrown. **

Blake had to blink twice, staring at the daggers. B rank weapons were well known for being the cheapest high-quality weapon a hero could find. They did not degrade like normal C rank and below weapons and as such lacked a durability counter. As such, these daggers would not erode like her normal cheap ones would, thus allowing for far more frequent use of her skills. As an Assassin Blake needed a good pair of daggers for combat. But to have a pair that could apparently be thrown and returned to the user?

Without saying a word Blake threw one of the daggers. It struck the wall, digging deep within the wood. Blake held her hand out, but jittered back when the dagger turned into black mana and just situated itself back into her head, perfectly ready for battle again. Blake notice a small dip in her reserves, but that was a small price to pay for such a weapon.

"Jaune…thank you" said Blake.

"Not a worry" smiled Jaune "I knew you lost a few daggers over the course of our few battles, so I thought you'd appreciate something more stable. Not to mention easier to take care of. Just don't…hold the actual blade for long periods of time. The metal can eat away at anything it touches. Best to keep it in your inventory for now."

Blake simply nodded, storing her Shadow's Duet into her inventory. The inspect wasn't wrong, she could indeed hear a sweet song if she focused on it, a woman singing an eerie lullaby. If Blake were to hazard a guess, it was a small sign to see if the individual was worthy to dance with such blades. If you could not hear the song…than however could you dance to it.

"This is truly amazing but…shouldn't you have saved this for next week?"

Jaune shrugged.

"There was no guarantee that I would have been able to actually complete this B rank weapon. Don't get me wrong I'm stubborn, but even I'm aware that we can fail. I technically failed to keep all the mana in the first place, had to replace it with my own which ate up a huge portion of my own reserves. I needed to know if I could make a B rank weapon reliably, before I tried making it in front of other people."

Blake nodded.

"If you're sure…because I don't think you'll be getting those back" she smiled.

Jaune laughed a bit as he shook his head. A dull thump could be heard as something was dropped upstairs.

"Must be Ruby, I hope" murmered Pyrrha "I have to admit I'm getting kind of hungry."

"Same" said Jaune.

An inhuman rumble echoed through the basement with Pyrrha looking at Jaune. Jaune shrugged causing both of them to look at Blake, who now had her hood up.

"…..let's get something to eat" she muttered.

"Yea…before your stomach roars again" chuckled Jaune.

With that Blake disappeared.  
"It was just a joke come on!" chuckled Jaune, racing up the stairs following Blake.

Pyrrha shook her head and followed, wondering what other surprises today may have. As Jaune ran up the stairs he could tell that he was stronger. It wasn't as if he was a new man, but the difference in strength was noticeable. The potency of his mana increased as well. The cost remained the same, but Jaune could tell that his skills were more effective and powerful. In the case of heroes this must have been how they circumvented the resistances of their enemies in spell casting. In Jaune's case it represented how much power he could handle and infuse into his creations. His smile grew as the system notified him of something.

**Congratulations! You have levelled up!**

Little by little. Jaune would get there. He didn't care what was in his way, nothing would stop him until he had completed his goal. First step was gaining power…the next? The next was getting to Atlas and the meeting of nobles that was occurring next week may very well be his shot for just that.

**END CHAPTER**

**Thanks for reading guys and I hope it was fun! Next chapter will have a bit of a skip as I push the story along a bit. Will the meeting of nobles inspecting Jaune play out as he hopes or will he be shocked at the unexpected? **

**Next Update: The Ultimate Weapon**

**Jaune (Artorias) Level 26-27. **

**Class: **

**Arcane Craftsman**

**Subclass: **

**? ?**

**Stats: **

**STR: 125-135 (A)**

**CON: 125-135 (A)**

**DEX: 83-88 (C)**

**AGI: 87-92 (C)**

**INT: 143-153 (A)**

**WIS: 132-142 (A)**

**CHA: 98-105 (B)**

**RES: 204 (EX)**

**Health: 5,850 (B)**

**Mana: 5,800 (B)**

**Aura: 2,904 (C)**

**Current Rank: B **

**Remember Jaune's ranking in his stats are just the growth rate. Jaune's ranking in health, mana, and aura are representative of how he compares to other people and play a part in whether he is ready to withstand ascension (The phenomena that is breaking through from a lower rank to a higher one). The ranking of health mana and aura does not reflect Jaune's rank, but rather his overall stas, like a stat graph when picking different heroes in games. That's right, within the B rank there are juggernauts with more health, super wizards with more mana, and a shit ton of people with more aura. For now. Jaune, much like his entire guild, are all unique in different ways. Like any good PvP player knows, it's the skills and how you use them and not the amount of health and mana you have…within reason anyways. Also, if we're being honest, I was kinda wanting to throw you guys off for a bit. You fuckers have been dismantling my plot like no tomorrow, I kind of wanted a little surprise for this chapter. **

**Skills: **

**No new skills or titles gained this chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys welcome to the next chapter of Arcane craftsman! At the time of completing this chapter I found myself a short time before work. As such please ignore the two or three updated chapters that will be releasing over the next couple of days. These are not new chapters just the fixed versions of previous chapters. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, till next time!**

**Arcane Craftsman Chapter 9: **

Jaune blinked his eyes as he got up from his bed. His back cracked as he grimaced, a present from sleeping in his newfound bed. Jaune grumbled as he rested his face into his hands. So many concerns and so little time.

"Last night was not fun" grumbled Jaune with a chuckle.

Indeed, it had not been. Sleeping in his bed was in fact the worst decision that Jaune had ever made in his life to date. It escaped him why he bothered to sleep in it and not the floor.

"Note to self" chuckled Jaune "don't sleep in a decades old bed".

Jaune blinked as he stood up and went to his window. When the sunlight hit him Jaune couldn't help but feel…incredible. It wasn't a surge of raw power but rather a surge of energy. The kind that coffee or a nice shower would give. Quickly Jaune lost his exhaustion and remembered what he learned the other day. He had been blessed by the sun and with that blessing came power and unseen benefits. It would appear being energetic during the day was one such benefit.

"…is it dawn out?" muttered Jaune.

It would seem that Jaune was more in tuned with the sun than he thought as he watched it slowly rise into the sky. But that was alright. He had a lot to do today. After all, he had six days now to prepare for the B rank weapon he was tasked to create. In the beginning Jaune was confident but yesterday, in light of his success, came with some unexpected problems.

There was of course the concern for materials. As far as Jaune could see anything B rank was either extremely rare or simply not in the market, period. Umbral stone was a good example of a B rank material that was available but rare.

"I could make a stone staff but…"

The Umbral stone, while B rank in quality, was not exactly something Jaune wanted to make into a weapon. While the mana within it was powerful it was still simply rock. Better to use metal for a blade, the edge would be sharper and easier to maintain. Jaune also contemplated a shield but decided against it. The one defensive enchantment he could do was not viable. The system pinged as Jaune looked over his enchantment. He knew instantly what he could accomplish with his current skill level, but it didn't hurt to have the system double check for him.

**Enchantment: Damage Reduction!**

**Damage reduction is an A tier enchantment! The player is too weak to fully utilize this enchantment. Reduce the damage taken or given! This enchantment can filter the damage taken by the user, reducing the overall effectiveness of any attack physical or magical! Current effects: -0.0003% damage.**

Jaune sighed as he shook his head. It made sense all things considered but it didn't change the fact that the number he was given was just ridiculous. Jaune knew that regents could, in theory, increase the effectiveness of any of the runes that Jaune employed how he'd go about that he didn't yet know. Ruby's scythe was an example of the regent method in a crude fashion, since her fire-based runes were enhanced by both the steel and the branch.

He knew he could feed runes directly with certain regents but again he didn't know how just yet. Jaune was confident he could find quite a few materials of sufficient rank just in the markets of Beacon. But time was the issue. Could he fine said materials within just six days? Not with the merchant guild screwing around unrestricted right now. He could try Vale but that too was unlikely. Aside from building materials who would carry B rank metal? Steel was made not naturally found in mines after all. It would be time consuming finding anything useful.

"I can't afford screw ups" muttered Jaune "….damnit it Blake was right. I should have left the crystals to be used for those nobles."

One might wonder why Jaune was so worried. In truth the nobility mattered little in the grand scheme of things. Jaune desired no connection with them and he it's not like he needed their buisness. Thanks to the dungeons Jaune was able to procure a living without resorting to manual labor or his class, as fun as it was for him. The issue was not long term but short term. The issue specifically was fame. Jaune needed to be well known if he wanted to go to Atlas anytime soon. Atlas was without question a kingdom centered on magic. If he could get his name far and wide as someone who could create B rank weapons without issue? Then Atlas would come calling…and he would be one step closer to his mother. Jaune knew that the second he tried to go to Atlas on his own that Uther would try something. His grandfather was just the type to orchestrate an accident of some kind. The gies the man was bound to prevented him from harming him but Jaune was sure his grandfather had other means. Screw ups could not be tolerated. Perhaps it was simply paranoia, his name was different after all and his class was not the same. But even so, no chances were taken in Jaune's considerations.

As such time was not a commodity that Jaune had a lot of. If he failed here it could be years or months when the opportunity would present itself again with either a free ride or him getting enough money to stay in Atlas for whatever time he needed.

With all this said and done Jaune needed to be prepared as soon as possible. So far, he had a plan but whether it was a good one or not was up for debate. Like any half decent plan, it would let him kill numerous birds with one stone in the shortest time frame possible. But like everything Jaune had encountered there were some roadblocks. Materials were one thing but there was more to it.

The second issue Jaune had was control. After giving Blake her now favorite daggers, Jaune had been requested to ignite all the debris that Yang and Pyrrha had collected at the front the other night. Simple enough…expect that he accidentally almost started a forest fire. He ignited the bonfire only for it to explode in a fiery tornado of destruction from the increase of Jaune's rank. It was completely unexpected. Jaune swallowed hard as he stared at his hands. When Jaune rose from E to C the jump in power was small with each rank. He barely felt it. Now it felt as if he was supercharged. Jaune was just a simple blacksmith with normal stats before but now Jaune was an Arcane Craftsman, his stats were far higher, and Jaune's passive evolved. As such the jump in power was far more drastic for him the average person.

"Is this what heroes have?" muttered Jaune "this kind of power?"

It was humbling, exhilarating, and worrying all at the same time. That his flames were so destructive was great, it made fighting easier, but the lack of control made it where it was a danger to allies now. Suffice to say what should have been a night of relaxation had turned into a stressful time for Weiss. Jaune felt guilty for making the poor girl wake up from her nap to clean up his mistake.

"_I should probably make something for her…I never made a staff before"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune shrugged as he turned from the window and inspected his room. His room was gigantic, an easy 23 by 32-foot space. There used to be other beds in it but as they all noticed, they were garbage for the most part. Jaune made due with this old one but that was beside the point. It was weird being in such a large space with just a damn bed in one corner. In the upper floor alone, there were almost fifteen rooms like this across the expanse. A show of just how massive this building truly was…and how gaudy the people that once lived in it were. Jaune grunted as a ignite some fire in his right palm. He sighed in worry as he felt it try to escape his grasp violently. He crushed it but stared at his hands afterword's.

Ignoring the poor forge he utterly desecrated not days ago, Jaune's flames were not that powerful before now. He could ignite enemies of course, but if the creatures were strong enough, they could use their own mana, like Jaune does, to smother the flames out almost instantly. Monsters were annoyingly good at using their own mana in such a way. His C rank flames didn't even make his friends sweat, they mostly veered away on instinct than anything. However, now at B rank his flames were more violent and destructive than ever before. Jaune shuddered to think what might happen during the forging process. The materials would be fine, his passive regulated how much heat was imposed on whatever he was working with after all. But the surrounding area? Jaune already destroyed one forge at C rank. God knows how much damage he could do now. He would have to be careful from now on until he gained greater control.

There was also the fact that Jaune just knew that his lack of control was going to bite him in the ass. Magic was more than just skills after all and if he wanted to craft better items than he needed to master magic and in controlling his mana. Magic was in fact his most troubling concern, specifically the magic of runes. Jaune traced the rune for fire into the air with his passive, lacking the ability to do so with just his mana. The rune puffed out more fire, but was quick to dissolve. Jaune growled in annoyance as the sparks from the rune ignited on his floor. A surge of his mana dampened the flames, albeit with more difficulty than he had the other day. Jaune drew a second rune the rune for return…and it simply exploded without a sound. Shattered into petal like pieces so small they couldn't ignite something if Jaune wanted them to. Jaune had noticed that the runes regarding fire were as easy as breathing. He instinctively understood the runes completely and without thought. When Scathach downloaded the entire runic language into his head Jaune had learned numerous runes that all found their power in fire.

The rune for fire and flames.

The rune for burning.

The rune for heat.

The rune for hell.

The rune for sun.

There was even a rune for blaze, gods know why.

Anything that centered around fire in anyway Jaune could grasp immediately and without issue. The other runes were harder to bring up and he didn't understand them as fluidly but Jaune thought that was normal considering how he learned them. It wasn't until yesterday, when he used different runes in crafting for the first time, that he noticed something off. Jaune drew the rune again, this time closing his eyes and focusing. He began to sweat as he slowly drew the rune, careful to not have one line out of place. As he finished the rune's power turned his flames white…than exploded without a sound. It lasted a few seconds longer this time but was still a failure.

"I knew it" grumbled Jaune as he watched the broken remains of the rune sputter out again.

The bonuses that Jaune had with his class seemed useless for the most part. Numbers and bonuses that in truth meant nothing to Jaune. After all they did nothing to boost his ability to actual build his weapons. It wasn't as if some autopilot took over and told him where to strike and shape the metal, when to cool it, and so on. However, when Jaune created Blake's weapons he had used materials and runes not native to his natural element, fire. The backlash was more violent but Jaune attributed that to a lack of spirits helping him. It wasn't until he finished the weapon and consolidated the mana that he saw it.

The runes he had engraved were not straight and true. They were unstable and were cracking as he made Blake's daggers. They were on the verge of breaking apart when Jaune finished up…that is until he felt a tug in his mana. Suddenly the runes righted themselves if a little crookedly. Jaune thought it was just the runes settling in…but he was just kidding himself.

It wasn't until Jaune had gone to sleep that he finally admitted to himself the truth. His class, the Arcane Craftsman, was using the bonuses and skill increases to fix his runic mistakes. He knew the rough shape of every single rune but he had not mastered them. He understood how to create the runes but he did not understand them individually. He understood how enchantments were supposed to look like and function but he did not understand how they were made.

It was without question…exhilarating.

Jaune let a wild grin spread on his face. Sure, his class fixed his mistakes for now but that meant that when he did it right that his class would bolster them beyond the norm. Jaune had figured he'd need practice with his runes beforehand, hence his original plan to simply forge items over and over with different runes to practice. He just never realized how bad it was until now. Even with his rudimentary knowledge Jaune knew that Blake's daggers could have handled strings of runes working together to strengthen a few effects. No B rank weapon could handle more than two or three different effects, the weapon would just shatter from being overloaded with power and too many concepts. But multiple runes enhancing and honing singular effects? That was another story. They would have remained B rank obviously but the runes they were imbued with would have been stronger and thus made her blades even more deadly.

"So much more to discover" smiled Jaune.

There was no question. There would come a day when Jaune would create masterpieces, true works of art and power. But that day was a long time ahead. If Jaune didn't die first. It was moments like this that made Jaune have a love hate relationship with one skill in particular. Rune Sight. Through the skill Jaune was able to learn any rune and enchantment so long as they were visible in some fashion. Jaune couldn't help but shake his head at how stupidly broken his rune sight truly was. It let him comprehend and understand runes in their entirety, including enchantments. Jaune scowled as he realized why Scathach probably didn't like the method she used to aid him. It wasn't that it would have killed him if he was too weak but rather that giving him the knowledge without experience irked her as a teacher. Well, Jaune would have to fix that. Which lead to Jaune's plans for the day.

Coco and the others were arriving today, but Jaune didn't have to be with his guild when they arrived. There was also the contact that Blake mentioned but again Jaune was not necessary as he planned to be back within a few hours anyways. Weiss so far had been amazing in steering the guild through the ravage seas that was Beacon's politics. So, in light of Weiss's competency Jaune decided today was the best day to do it. He had no idea what the next few days would bring so it was best to go now, when times were relaxed.

It was time to return to the punishment zone. The materials he needed was most likely there and the guild needed to save as much money as they could. There was no telling what rewards he would gain this time and honestly? He needed a place to be with himself for a while and meditate on his runes.

So, to avoid building said suspicion Jaune had written a note for his guild and placed it at the foot of his door in the hallway. Jaune took a breath as he reentered his room. He opened the daily training menu. The timer stated he had twenty minutes left before he went.

"Alright" said Jaune "I got time. Let's check this thing out, uh…System access store."

It was time to figure out what the actual fuck this thing considered a store. The system didn't notify Jaune about anything to his surprise. He honestly expected some kind of welcome message or something. Instead it simply brought up a blue screen with items and prices in gold. To Jaune's surprise he had over 3000 pieces of gold and a 1 ticket symbol beside it. It also had the amount of lien he had on hand. It was a pitiful number in his opinion.

"I really need to sell some weapons…and gold? Does this thing need actual gold?" asked Jaune.

**The System does not take lien but rather a unique currency called "Gold". This has zero relation to the mineral of the same name. Gold is used to buy items from the store. Some items are auto generated and others are items sold by other players from across multiple multiverses. **

"….I can trade with players?"

Jaune didn't know what a multiverse was but he figured it would just give him headaches.

**Correct. The trade feature is unlocked when the player meets a friendly player or reaches level 78. For now the player lacks the funds for any item within the store. But the player has a store ticket that is usable for any item in the store. **

Jaune swallowed. Considering that the system had never lied to him yet…it meant that there were players from all walks of life…perhaps even from other worlds like the gates that were connected to his system in some way. There was also the fact that the system implied that not all of them were friendly. But if they were from other worlds why not just say it? Whatever a multiverse was Jaune was sure it was just going to give him a headache.

"How can I get gold?" asked Jaune, keeping it simple.

**Gold is acquired from completing system quests. As the player grows so too will their rewards from the "System". **

"How often do other players use this?" asked Jaune.

**Admittedly very little. The store is excellent for when the player is looking for specific items or effects. However, if the player does not require something urgently than the store is of little use. Most players use the store to free up space within their inventories and make gold. As of to date, the Player known as "Jaune/Artorias Pendragon" is the only player connected to Salem. As such their benefits include limitless inventory, much like the limitless expanse of the abyss. **

Jaune took out his arcane tools from his inventory, ignoring the edgy abyss line the system fed him. The chisel and hammer had hairline cracks running along their forms, the damage from working on items too powerful to withstand showing.

"System can you show me Arcane Craftsman tools?"

**Inputting search request! Results found!**

**Sigurd's old tools (C+). Price: 4,912,891. **

**Slightly less shitty Arcane Craftsman tools (C+). Price: 1,143,217**

**Dummy magic tools for beginners! (C). Price: 828,321**

**Shitty Arcane Craftsman tools (C). ALREADY OWNED**

"…Is this seriously it?" asked Jaune "and why is the first one so expensive!?"

**Unfortunately, yes. While the system store is tailored to each specific player, the user is the first labor class. As such the store is limited in the quality and number of Arcane tools available in stock. Visiting other worlds and completing unique quests can expand the options available!**

Jaune blinked as he began to realize how convenient and broken this damn thing was. Jaune almost couldn't decide. He could get a super rare material but that was…a waste in his opinion. He could get a good weapon, armor, maybe even some helpful items.

"Let's try this" muttered Jaune "System…is there something I should get?"

Jaune nearly jumped out from his skin as the system notified him immediately.

**Limited/Zero Over Blacksmith armor. Price: 1,521,875,198**

Jaune did near a spit take at the absurd price of this armor.

"What the hell is this!?" whispered Jaune.

**Due to the player's passive "Stoke the forge" any material touched by their flames will reach forge temperatures. While this is great for creating items the player's own clothes are incinerated. Should the player be wearing armor it is possible for it to be stripped and destroyed by the player's own passive when in combat. While there are certainly armor sets capable of withstanding the player's passive for long periods of time, they too would eventually become brittle and weak due to the constant exposure and need constant maintenance. The Limited/Zero Over Blacksmith armor is an armor set that rejects the concept of fire and heat. Thus, it is impossible for The Player's passive to damage this set or be damaged by fire in turn. This would allow the player to retain their clothing and armor in both crafting. By obtaining this set the player will also gain access to the enchantments that make up such a phenomenon. Should the player replicate these effects they can transfer this power to any armor set they please. The player's weapons are protected by currently unknown means that originates from the player themselves. WARNING: While functional, this armor's effectiveness in battle is lower than others of a similar rank. It is inadvisable to use this set for combat when better alternatives are available.**

"Did…did you just help me?" asked Jaune, surprised at the long list of information that the system gave him and yet another hint at some kind of odd power the system couldn't make sense of. Jaune honestly didn't expect the system to actually offer something. Yet, in this case the system had a point. Any material available in the store that was super rare and powerful was useless in Jaune's hands currently. Working with materials greater than him in strength was a death sentence anyways. Even if he did survive like he did the last two times the material would lose most of its power.

"Not exactly worth spending a ticket like this on something I might break" muttered Jaune.

He didn't have time to constantly take risks over and over. He had to carefully judge when it was time to act and the time to think it through. He already regretted making Blake's daggers so early. Now he was rushing. Weapons were a no go for him as well. Any B rank weapon he can just create at this point, albeit with some difficulty. A rank weapons were useless as it would probably kill him when he tried to use it. Jaune could also make armor, but if what the system was saying was true…than this would change everything.

"What's the item's rank?" asked Jaune.

**This item's rank is B, obviously**

"Ok don't need the sass" grumbled Jaune.

**The Player should not ask redundant questions! The armor set boasts immunity to heat and boosts crafting abilities by 25% and Runes by 15%. This makes it ideal for the player's beginner rune crafting abilities. The extra boost will help fill in the player's inexperience.**

"There are a lot of numbers involved with this" muttered Jaune "I know my bonuses are fixing my mistakes but do they even mean much?"

**No, they're just there for show.**

"Wait seriously?"

**Incorrect. The player's crafting abilities are not measured numerically. The passives, bonuses, and skill boosts are all centered on increasing the items power, not increasing the player's literal ability to craft. Any structural mistakes are due to the player's own hands, rather than skills. The effects of runes, the durability of an item, and how much power an item can withstand are some of the specific points that your bonuses address. It is why the B rank items the player has crafted so far have no durability counter while the Gae bolg does. They either break or are in perfect condition. But even so the player has not yet reached the pinnacle of their skills. It is due to this that the player has lacked any failures. They are not making B rank weapons to their full potential. **

"Pinnacle?"

**The player has not yet fully mastered their skills. They have at most fused two or three skills in minute bursts that only lasted for short periods. It is technically possible to maintain constant use of their skills. While the drain on their mana is excessive, the amount of power that be brought forth can in theory increase the bonuses that can be attributed to the item being created. By fusing all their skills and maintaining focus to create runes at the same time this would allow the player to break through the standard rankings, in theory. The difficulty of this is immense however. Such a state is pure magic and the player's skills would be unable to function as intended, the player themselves will have to shoulder the full functionality of each skill in use rather than let the skill work for them. At the player's current level of power and the skills at their command it is possible to bend the rankings and achieve B+ weapons and armor. These items can withstand more runes than their standard brethren but are still too weak to attain A rank. This would allow the player to further diversify their weapons and armor. The question is…can you accomplish this feat?**

"…I thought I got rid of the whole "pretend to be human" thing" said Jaune.

**The system has reduced the frequency as the player requested. Buy the armor or don't but cover your bum for the love of Gods.**

Jaune tried not to laugh but failed as he shook his head.

"Ah, I forget you could be funny."

**The system is not an individual.**

"Then stop acting like one!" laughed Jaune.

**Fuck you.**

Jaune felt tears form in his eyes as he tried not to chuckle. Jaune sighed as he shook his head and double checked his letter. He nodded in satisfaction. He took a breath and nodded.

"System…buy the armor."

**Understood. Transferring armor set to inventory. Would the player like to equip the armor?**

"Sure" said Jaune.

**Equipping armor.**

A light covered Jaune and he felt armor of suitable weight cover his body. His upper body was covered in a crimson kimono that showed his chest a bit. His lower body held some pants that were weighed and had armor sewed within it. Some additional plates of small armor covered his right thigh. He also had a pouch secured to his right though over said plates, a place that could store his hammer and chisel. Under his kimono Jaune noticed that both his arms were covered in a strange red cloth with black symbols on either arm. The cloth secured itself by tying around his ribs and back. Both arms were covered to his shoulder and were hidden by the white kimono.

Jaune blinked at how tight and fitted this armor was.

"This fits…perfectly" muttered Jaune "how? There's not a chance this suit was designed for me."

**Magic.**

"Oh…right" smiled Jaune "….I'm ready. System, is there a way to accelerate the punishment zone?"

**Is the player sure?**

"I'm sure. Send me in."

**Understood. Forcibly accelerating timer…..6.5.4.**

Jaune swallowed and rolled his shoulders. He wasn't use to wearing armor…but he would adjust. Once he was in the punishment zone, he could inspect it further but one thing was apparent. The runes that empowered this set were not visible. As such rune sight was useless.

"Just another challenge" grinned Jaune.

**Welcome…to the punishment zone!**

Jaune felt the familiar tug to his stomach as the world around him twisted in place and all Jaune saw was darkness. His note, situated below his door, stood innocently, saying that he was just in the city for the day and would return when he was done. Unbeknownst to Jaune…a certain mage was awake glaring at the ceiling, annoyed that their resident blacksmith was fooling around with magic so early in the morning.

Weiss blinked as she felt Jaune's raging mana just disappear without warning.

"Jaune?"

**-Punishment zone 2, a few seconds later-**

Jaune opened his eyes and expected almost anything. A raging monkey, a giant golem, maybe even a screeching penguin or something. Instead he was surrounded….by grass. A long ass meadow surrounded Jaune on all sides with grass as tall as his waist. Jaune twisted around to try and see anything but nothing came up. A few more seconds passed and Jaune blinked.

"So uhh…this is the punishment zone?"

**Correct! Welcome to the punishment zone. Since you have cleared the first zone you have achieved some new benefits! The player is free to use mana recovery items but healing items are still nullified. The spellcaster's blessing has nullified the nullifying effect…not again.**

"So same as last time" smiled Jaune, making his way through the grass and looking for landmarks.

Jaune jumped over eighteen feet as he tried to get elevation. He saw large swaths of forests and rock formations. However, far into the distance, was what looked like a building of some kind.

"So north I go" muttered Jaune as he landed.

The young man blinked as he heard a familiar ping.

**There are new restrictions and benefits available to the player. The player can now use hearth stones to escape the punishment zone whenever they wish. These stones can be dropped by enemies or found. The player can also gain pass tickets to avoid coming to the punishment zone once per ticket. These are gained from daily training. Kill the boss to clear the punishment zone! Clear any hidden quests, if available, to increase reward chances and drops! Good luck! Current time for survival: 12 hours.**

"Twelve hours!?" yelled Jaune.

**Correct. The player currently has 12 hours to survive. Time dilation is currently in effect. While the player is trapped only three hours will pass in their original world. As the player progresses through the punishment zones the time dilation will increase further. Also, duck**.

"WhA!"

Jaune felt something bite into his arm ferociously and tried to drag him down into the grass. Jaune's new armor gave some resistance but eventually was torn away from his left arm. Jaune yelled as he beast bit deeper, hitting his flesh.

"AHHH!"

Jaune looked down and noticed a red furred wolf with a metallic lower jaw glaring at him with crimson eyes within the grass. The demonic red eyes told Jaune that this was a monster rather than an animal.

**Inspect!**

**Iron-Jaw Wolf (B)**

**A beast experimented on by an idiot alchemist. The man attempted to transform living organisms into metallic golems. Their ineptitude led to only the lower jaw transmuting. While weaker than their creator wanted these beasts are still to be reckoned with and hunt at their "creators" command. They excel at direct combat but lack the sense of smell they once had in the past, limiting their effectiveness as hunters. **

Jaune scowled as he ignited his arm and let his fire loose right down the throat of the beast. Yet, to his surprise, the beast merely yowled in pain and kicked off him. The beast shook its head and disappeared under the grass. Jaune cradled his arm left arm, annoyed at the ruined cloth. Both the white kimono top and the red cloth beneath it were ruined. However, Jaune's arm was not punctured. The injury hurt and certainly felt as if his flesh had been pierced but the skin remained seamless.

**The player has lost 500 aura. The player will not take damage until their aura is empty, a unique feature native to the world of remnant. Certain class skills use aura instead of MP. The player will still feel pain though.**

"Now is not the time" grumbled Jaune.

Jaune clenched his fist and quickly made mental notes. The first was that his fire was not as effective as he hoped, damage increase be damned. Fire hurt them, no question, but the flames tore down the creature's throat without mercy and the wolf took it like a champ. So Jaune activated ignition burst and for the first time tried engraving his own flesh with a rune. He knew in theory that runes could empower the body as well as the weapon. He saw it on Scathach's armor so it wasn't that large a leap to put it directly on the body as some kind of buff.

Jaune grunted as he felt the rune of fire latch onto his skin and do…nothing. The rune puttered endlessly as it tried to compute with what Jaune wanted.

"Knew it wouldn't be that easy" grumbled Jaune.

Jaune scowled as he didn't care anymore. He would figure this out later. The iron jawed wolf jumped out of the waist-high grass along with two others, but Jaune was ready. He roared defiantly as he let his flames loose for the first time since his rank up. A pillar of unrelenting fire rose from Jaune's position, his flames devoured everything in sight and ignited the grass around him. A large portion of the meadow turned to ash but the flames didn't spread as far as Jaune expected it to. In the first punishment zone he had ignited an entire forest. Yet, here he could barely get a meadow to get on fire?

Weird as everything was Jaune took a breath happy for the respite.

GROWL.

Jaune opened his eyes and noticed that well over a dozen of those iron jawed wolves were rising from the ground, the flames still ongoing. Two of them stayed dead, but the rest were injured but alive. They growled at Jaune. One was limping but seemed ready to kill Jaune at a moment's notice regardless. The rest did not share this injury. This wasn't like the fight with the fire gorilla. This wasn't a one on one fight. If they could take a full blast from Jaune's fire and survive than he needed a plan.

He needed to run.

Jaune went and started booking it across the meadow. Jaune noticed that the grass steadily turned greener as he ran making him scowl in annoyance.

"Oh, sure I can burn down a forest without a problem but grass is an issue?"

**Welcome to the punishment zone! Each zone is tailored to the player's strength when they first enter as to ensure the perfect difficulty each time. They are not ranked as the player assumes. Also, the player's passive can ignite any material, no question. How long they stay ignited or burn for that matter is another issue. The meadow of Arkan is well known for being seeped in water, making sustained fires difficult.**

"You're not helping!" yelled Jaune.

**You're welcome!**

"Errors have been made" grumbled Jaune as he entered a forest.

He had let his guard down. He had assumed that the punishment zones were simply rank ups. There were five "Zones" that he had in that quest after all. It wasn't that large a leap of logic to assume it went from E to A. Jaune jumped over a fallen tree but yelped as one of the wolves nipped at his rear. It didn't catch his clothes or anything so he called that a win. Jaune vaulted over a thick branch and slid under a stone structure to his right.

"Please be short please be short" begged Jaune.

Thankfully his trip sliding under the small opening left by the rock formation was short. He found himself surrounded by fallen stones that lead to an opening a fair ways up. He had a good few feet of free space, enough to stand up again at least.

"Oh thank-"

"ARF!"

Jaune jumped from the opening as a pair of jaws tried to snap at his exposed ankle.

"Up I go than" muttered Jaune.

HE just hoped these wolves couldn't climb. Wolves didn't have opposable thumbs so climbing should be difficult for the species. But considering that wolves weren't supposed to have metallic lower jaws…best to be safe than sorry. Jaune gripped the stone and blinked.

"…..what the?" muttered Jaune.

Jaune exerted a bit of strength and was surprised to find his fingers digging into the weal stone. The rock was enough to hold his weight as he slowly climbed up, but his strength was great enough to splinter the rock and create his own footing.

"…..."

Jaune turned and noticed the wolves growling angrily and climbing over each other to reach him. They acted like rabid animals, uncaring of what stood in their way. Their goal was to kill him. Plain and simple. He should have been scared…the old him would have been. But Jaune simply grinned as he let his flames loose from his body once more. Engulfing the entire cavern in flames. Jaune jumped, keeping his flames pouring out. He quickly found that jumping from footing to footing was the fastest way to climb, finding himself out of the cavern in quick time. Without pause Jaune leaned over the edge and poured his flames even more, applying the ignition burst boost for extra measure.

**DING!**

Jaune blinked as he let the flames die out. The wolves were dead, with one struggling to get up. Jaune picked up a rock and chucked it. He smiled as he wacked the remaining beast in the head. Whether it was dead or not didn't matter. It was out of commision and that was all that mattered to Jaune right now.

"Now what does the system want?" muttered Jaune.

**The player acquired drops! Drops are items that can be generated from fallen foes. The drops are as follows: **

**Transmuted Fangs x 2**

**Dire Wolf Pelt x 1**

**Wolf Liver x 5**

"….Why do I have wolf liver?" muttered Jaune.

Jaune knew what drops were, they were always weapons and armor never mat…..

"…..Ooooooh. Because I'm labor caste I have a wider drop pool?"

**Correct. Due to the player's class the items that can be acquired from monsters as drops are expanded. "HERO" classes will obtain armor and weapons, but that can be rare considering which monster or individual they face. As a magic based crafter the player has access to a much larger selection of drops. Hey can be materials for forging, crafting, or alchemic solutions. The System is here to support the player's growth! As such the player also has access to "HERO" drop pools, allowing them access to weapon and armor drops.**

"Neat" breathed Jaune.

Jaune found a rock to sit on and looked into the distance. The forest seemed to go on for miles but in the far distance was a tall structure, a building.

"….This….this is an actual world isn't it."

Correct.

"….I see" muttered Jaune.

This changed everything. The punishment zones were not just randomly generated worlds but existing realms of existence. Jaune grimaced as he looked at the large swaths of ash and dead plants that he had left in his wake. He may not have destroyed the entire meadow but that didn't change that he had destroyed a large portion. Unseen by Jaune was a bubbling in his shadow as a single white circle appeared looking around. It quickly disappeared as Jaune stood up.

"Hidden quests can net me some rewards but that's…that's a little undependable. But that building…I wonder if I can find anything useful there?"

Jaune already had metallic fangs and a dire wolf pelt, whatever that was, as materials and it has been less than an hour since he'd been placed in this dimension.

"Place is a lot more dangerous than I gave it credit for" grumbled Jaune as he gripped his bare left arm "but even so I can't stop now. Staying here is just as dangerous as moving around. I can experiment later at the buidling."

Not necessarily true in all cases but in Jaune's experience staying in one place made it easy for enemies and monsters to ambush you. That…and well it was an excuse to explore. It was boring standing around in once place for 12 hours. He had plans to experiment with his runes while he was here, but considering it was now more dangerous than he anticipated, it was best to do so with appropriate cover. Jaune grinned as he rolled his shoulders.

"Alright" he said, clutching his hands into fists "let's see how far I can get."

Jaune took a few steps back and ran into a full sprint. As he neared the edge of his stone safe heaven he jumped. Much like the euphoria he felt when he arrived at Beacon for his first class, Jaune was now elated at his newfound strength. This wasn't just a stat increase but the inclusion of an entire new rank of power. Stats were graded by rankings as a way to give a general idea of how many stats you could gain per level. However, stats were weighed by the rank of the individual. A 100 in strength for a C rank was inferior to the 100 in strength of a B rank after all.

And it showed.

"WHOOOO!"  
Jaune yelled and whooped as he sored through the sky with just the strength of his legs. His strenght was now potent enough for him to jump hundreds of meters at a time. As he landed with loud thump Jaune would jump again, well over the tree line and into the open sky. He felt….there was no describing the feeling. IT was if he belonged in the sky with the wind at his back!

"This!"

Jaune smiled, happy that he had barely made any progress to reach the building. Instead he noticed that there were more smaller buildings on the way. Most were crumbled heaps but one a fair distance away was still standing. Nature had overgrown the home a great deal but it was still standing whole. Who knows what was inside. It was still a fair distance however. Not that Jaune minded. Jaune landed and jumped once again, now twisting in the air and fooling around like a child.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Jaune closed his eyes and spread his arms, careening to the-

"CAW!"

"DOH!"

Jaune coughed as something gripped his spreaded arms. Jaune blinked as he looked up, noticing a completely metal bird glaring at him with golden eyes.

"…..Seriously?" asked Jaune.

"CAW!"

Inspect!

Stymphalian Bird _-Fake-_ (Rank B)

A creature born from Alchemy in a sick attempt to ressurect a legendary species of yore. One of the few successes of the "idiot alchemist". This machine mimics the creature it was based on and attacks its prey with a sharpened beak and poisoned feathers. It would paralyze its prey before shredding it with its disposable and metallic wings…at least it would if it needed to feed in the first place. Due to its manmade design this creature is more an automaton than a living thing. As such it is simplistic in nature and cannot follow complicated instructions. While B rank in strength the creature is actually quite weak, borrowing its power from the fossils used in its creation rather than any power derived from itself. But do not mistake its simplicity and lack of individual power as symbols of weakness. While it cannot compare to the creature it embodies it is not a lone hunter. Unlike its predecessor this creature works well in large groups and can synchronize thought patterns. The more of them present in one place the smarter they become. They are made from Damascus Steel, a long lost metal.

The bird was happy. It had caught prey. Prey to return to "Master". Master was weak and needed prey. The bird was happy to serve master…why was prey smiling like predetor?

Jaune gave a dark chuckle as he stared at the bird. His body glowed orange as his passive activated. This bird wasn't a living thing but a machine. As such Jaune made one simple deduction. This thing was basically a moving weapon?

He could destroy weapons.

"Dismantle" grinned Jaune.

The bird stilled….than shattered into blue petals. Jaune closed his eyes, focusing his mana. He could feel roughly three other birds coming into his direction.

"Finally" grumbled Jaune "something I can fight!"

The wolves counted of course but he had spent the entirety of that particular fight running and keeping his distance. The wolves were resistant to his flames for the most part. However, the inclusions of the birds revealed one crucial fact. Someone was here…and they were hunting him.

"I'll have to be careful" muttered Jaune.

"CAW!"

Jaune was slammed from the back unexpectedly, having thought the birds further away. He felt the bird's beak drill into his back, literally. The things beak was spinning in place like a drill, trying to tear through his spine.

"AHHHHHH!"

Jaune screamed as he tried to gain some bearing. His armor held for only a short time before the kimono top was torn to shreds, sucked into the drills spinning force. Now topless Jaune was rendered immobile at that moment, unable to move or grab onto anything to gain proper leverage. The beak hit his bare skin and held for several seconds before the momentum gave Jaune the opening he needed, tilted him to the left. Jaune fell backwards and wrapped his legs around the bird's neck as he fell. He patted behind him until he caught a hold of the metal birds wings, ignoring the bird trying to drill one of his legs. Without even hesitating Jaune dismantled the machine, letting him free fall.

Jaune cringed as he felt his back burn against the cold wind, his skin now bloody and raw.

**The player's aura has broken!**

**The player has lost 800 health!**

**The player has lost 800 health!**

**The player has lost 1500 health!**

Jaune swallowed. It would seem that even though he could murder the birds with just a touch, they were not without problems. Jaune scowled as he righted himself in the air. He was so high up he could barely see the ground. He should have been shitting his pants and crying. That's what any reasonable person plummeting to their doom would have done. Jaune however smiled. He righted himself and placed his hands at his waist. He had dreamed of this since the day his semblance had evolved. It was time to fly! Jaune ignited his flames ready to propel himself forward!

…..for about two inches.

Jaune pursed his lips and stared into space as he realized that he was moving…. barely. His flames, while gigantic in amount, was barely propelling him. It lacked the force necessary to move him forward and since he was still free falling, to keep him afloat as well. Instead of an awe inspiring first flight Jaune's fire simply trailed behind him flaming upwards, gathered by the wind pushing against Jaune's face.

"…well crap" muttered Jaune.

"CAW!"

This time Jaune saw the bird coming and tilted his head to the right for a better look. The bird gave him a monotonous glare, lacking the drive and emotion the other two had. It would seem the loss of its two brothers had rendered the machine beast simple.

Jaune could work with that.

Jaune ended his semblance and let the beast come. Unlike the previous bird this one seemed to lack a drill beak. A good thing too, for it made this easier. Perhaps it was a different model? Jaune was knocked out of his idle thoughts as the bird tried to slam into him with its razor beak. Only to find itself in a midair strangle hold, or at least as much of one as Jaune could manage. Using his foot Jaune slowly managed to get on the bird's large back. It was a bit smaller than Jaune so his added weight was already starting to make them plummet. Jaune let go of the birds neck and with his strength grabbed onto the bird's wings and pulled back. He was sucked into the air but planted his feet on the bird's back, riding it through the wind. As they neared the ground Jaune held on for dear life as they dug a trench through the earth. Jaune felt his legs rattle painfully and fingers get scratched.

CRACK!

And a finger broken as well. As they slowed Jaune took his feet off the bird's back, leaving massive indents in the machine. Its wings were ripped from their socket and its head crushed from the impact. Jaune took a breath and looked around.

"….Huh….I made it. Guess Salem's luck wasn't all talk" he muttered.

Luck was bullshit, no question. Somehow, against all odds, Jaune had landed free falling right in front of his target landmark. One might ask how Jaune was able to see from so far away and how he knew that this building was the one in question. It was simple really. The building was weirdly shaped, like a bulging pipe. It was easily massive feet in height but the odd design made Jaune almost cringe looking at it, thus the ideal landmark to use. Before Jaune could start moving the creature behind him began to disappear but as it disintegrated a lump of metal was left in its wake. The lump was the size of his head and was oddly shaped.

Inspect!

Damascus Steel (Rank B)

Steel in its ultimate incarnation. While not much stronger in its initial state than normal steel, Damascus steel has the ability to retain and handle magic like no other. Much like other mystical metals like Mythril and Orichalcum, Damascus steel's rank can be altered depending on the skill of the craftsman. However, the secrets of its creation has long been forgotten by its original creators.

"….Interesting" muttered Jaune.

At first Jaune just wanted to keep it. It was a B rank material after all and would have been forged into a fine blade…but a thought itched at Jaune. The system mentioned that Jaune had been using his skills in bursts, which was true. He could activate all his skills at once due to his ridiculous resistance stat but he had let his skills run their course, never bothering to attempt to prolong their use or actively use them as one cohesive unit. It was time to change that. Jaune closed his eyes and placed his hand on the Damascus steel. He activated the structural analysis skill but kept it going. He poured more and more of his mana into the skill, prolonging its use. He began to delve deeper and deeper into the metal, slowly gaining more and more knowledge than he would normally get. He began to see faults within the metal that the initial skill use didn't show, he saw where the metal was strongest and where it was weakest. With that knowledge Jaune could use only the best and most resilient parts of this clump of steel, rather than trying to forcibly merge differing qualities of steel, an issue he wasn't even aware was effecting his forging. But it wasn't enough. It was if the secrets of this steel was like a box, a box that was slammed shut and its lock was melted so no king would work. Slowly but surely Jaune could tell that the skill had sunken deep into the steel and had burrowed as far as it could. There had to be a way to go deeper!

"…_.what if?"_

It was a random though Jaune had after he had compared the steel to a closed box. If the lock to a box was welded shut, how would you open it? The answer was surprisingly simple.

YOU BREAK IT.

Jaune followed his gut instinct and activated dismantle. But this time he kept structural analysis going at the same time as dismantle was functioning. Jaune could feel his concertation wavering as a flood of information was fed into his mind. He could see it as he destroyed the metal, the secrets within. It was formed several hundred years ago….carbon nanotubes….the use of wood and plants….special iron filled with various metals and elements…titanium, niobium, vanadium, zirconium. Jaune took a surprised deep breath as his brain searched through the remaining information that he had unexpectedly cracked open.

**Congratulations! The player has earned the following recipes!**

**-Micro alloy Iron**

**\- Woody Biomass**

**\- Damascus Steel.**

Jaune began to laugh as he placed his hand on his head. How simple he was.

"To think…to actually subject steel to something like alchemy!" laughed Jaune "to merge organic material with metal to achieve something even stronger…brilliant."

Jaune truly meant it to. It was probably due to the organic material and the carbon nanotubes that this brand of steel was capable of retaining such high amounts of magic. However, once the metal was created it would adapt to the mana it was subjected to. This made it the ideal steel for Jaune as the metal would only be as strong as Jaune himself was. But more importantly Jaune felt his artist spirit come alive. What other creations could he make with a similar process? Could he make a form of Damascus steel suited to fire magic? Water? Wind? The possibilities were endless. All this from a metal that was simply B rank. Jaune looked around, smiling as he realized what the punishment zone truly was to him. A treasure trove of information and knowledge. Before he had analyzed the Damascus steel Jaune had no idea how to proceed with alchemy. He was planning to just ask Oobleck but now? He knew exactly how to proceed. He may have lost the metal he just obtained but through its sacrifice Jaune had improved yet again.

Jaune scowled as he felt the blood at his back leak down his leg.

"…how did I?"

It would seem that along with a reckless streak a mile wide Jaune had also gained a rather stupid level of pain tolerance. Well getting stabbed by a giant lance and pseudo dying would do that to a person. Jaune blinked as he noticed that his back didn't burn as much.

"What the?"

Jaune turned and saw that the skin repairing itself. It was very slow but there. It wasn't anything unusual for Jaune. He had always healed from small injuries pretty quickly. But anything like a broken bone or a speared chest tended to heal only slightly faster than the average person. Now that Jaune thought about it, it wasn't until Vale that he had healed like this…

"Maybe it's the air" muttered Jaune.

Thoughts for another time. Jaune looked at the building, its obtuse shape still giving him a headache. The door was a large steel plate with a handle dead in the center. It was almost giving Jaune a headache looking at it. But what worried him was the weapons strewn about. The building was saturated in nature, with trees and shrubbery having over grown it a long time ago. Weapons covered in vines and moss littered the forest floor around Jaune. He looked up and noticed the hole he had made with the bird he rode in on.

"….."

Jaune bent down and picked up a sword. It was curved, like a saber. He closed his eyes and activated the duel skill use of structural analysis and dismantle. It took Jaune a few minutes but the sword gained circuit like patterns before dispersing into blue dust.

**The player has learned the follow diagrams!**

**Urik Saber blueprint: Adept**

"So that's what the system meant by being able to learn master level blueprints" said Jaune as he opened his eyes.

The information regarding the Urik Saber was now settled into his mind. There were some design flaws that were overlooked as Jaune saw, such as a lack of strength around the hilt. That was probably why the design level was low. But more importantly Jaune had learned something interesting about his skill. It would seem that he had learned the history of the blade and its use…and the fact that the warrior that used it fought in a battle to save their family.

**The player has started the hidden quest: **

"**A survivor journey!" **

**Learn the secrets of this world through the eyes of one of its final survivors. Can you discover what happened to make a world such as this one?**

**Rewards: **

**?**

**Increase to clearing reward.**

"…I know it's meant to be hidden but damn."

Jaune had no idea how the hell he was supposed to figure out such a quest existed in the first place but who cared. It was obvious that he wasn't going to find anything unless he kept moving. The other weapons were long desecrated by age, leaving only rusted bits. He needed the full shape of a weapon to properly learn it make after all.

"…Guess I'm going in" muttered Jaune.

Jaune took slow steps towards the large slab of metal. He had been ambushed twice after all, who's to say that there wouldn't be a third? Jaune smirked as the thought of more combat itched something within him. But as his hand closed around the knob in the center of the door Jaune stilled.

"…I really have changed, haven't I?"

Before all of this Jaune was a normal man with a normal job. He manned a smithy, took care of his father, hell he was even looking to get married with the right girl. The only odd thing about him was his track record as a porter. But after he was killed…that changed. He knew he should be more afraid of this place, of venturing through the unknown, and yet he was excited. He should be more apprehensive with people less prone to giving out personal information…yet he made seven new friends he felt closer to than almost anyone he knew.

"Perhaps I am weird" smiled Jaune.

Perhaps he was. He knew he was an oddity. Outside of crafting and combat Jaune remained what he considered his previous self. A calm and sometimes witty person. But during crafting he had always been a bit of an energetic nut…he just never realized he'd develop the same passion for fighting…no…it wasn't fighting.

"Strongest….i want to be the strongest!" smirked Jaune.

Ahhhh there it was. The reason Jaune was exhilarated with strong opponents. The desire to be the strongest wasn't simply to reach some arbitrary #1 position…it was to escape himself…how he used to be. Jaune opened the door and scowled as instead of opening like a normal door, the knob and metal slab simply ceased to exist and reappeared after he passed the threshold.

"It's giving me an actual headache!" growled Jaune.

It would take a minute for Jaune's eyes to get used to the dark room, so he stood in place looking at his open palms.

"I used to be weak" thought Jaune "…weak enough that I gave up. I gave up on mom…I gave up on dad…I even gave up on myself."

No wonder he was so willing to simply accept what happened to him. Oh, he fought valiantly. He refused to die whimpering in the dark after all. But still…he simply accepted it the moment it happened. Never again.

"I will not falter again" growled Jaune, his eyes simmering in crimson "I won't lose again!"

Dying in combat was the norm of his world. Dying at an enemy's hands in an honorable fight or within the dungeon was not the coward's way out but simply a possibility for the warriors of his time. No, it was how he lost himself that he hated…and that it took a dark goddess giving him a second chance to find his way again. Jaune let his mana simmer down, the crimson leaving his eyes. Now wasn't the time to get angry, not at something that had passed some time ago. Jaune looked around…the place was fortified and sealed…if monsters were here they would have attacked already…this place was it. Jaune stalked forward with purpose in each step. He noticed a staff leaning against the wall a few feet to his left by some stairs and went to reach for it but thought better of it. It was time to experiment with something.

"Alright" sighed Jaune as he sat down.

He took a breath and closed his eyes. Before the darkness his entire runic library unfolded. Each word that had been downloaded or naturally learned swam in a mess…but he knew all of them. A few of them shone brightly and were unmarred but a vast majority of the runes were blurry, with undefined edges, and only a general shape.

"No wonder my runes havn't been at full power" thought Jaune.

It made a twisted sense in Jaune's opinion. Ruby's scythe and Blake's daggers…they were B rank to be sure but he always felt like they were lacking in some way. The differences in B rank were noticeable with some weapons carrying multiple weak effects or stronger singular effects. It would seem that by focusing on singular effects within his weapons Jaune was able to bring them to B rank. But if he had tried to create more exotic effects or maintain multiple different effects all at once…it was likely the weapon would have shattered. The runes were not perfect…but that could be fixed. Jaune wanted to try and replicate something. He had passives and skills that boosted the potency of his items and his class abilities. It was time to see if he could replicate them. Thanks to the power of the Arcane Craftsman Class Jaune instinctively knew how to bind weapons to a user…but was too green and was only able to bind them by general classes. Reaper and Assassin. What if he could use that to create a weapon that boosted certain classes?

Jaune was meditating to find the rune that would enable that effect and perfect his understanding. It was relatively easy to find said rune. After all he only had to think of the rune that embodied a certain class.

"_Warrior" _thought Jaune.

But that wasn't enough…it was fine for the warrior classes. After all warrior was a general term for the melee classes. As such the rune itself would empower any "Warrior" actions…no that was just Jaune's initial interpretations of this runes power. There was more to it, Jaune just knew it, but what he needed was more specific.

"_Samurai"_ thought Jaune.

The rune appeared and Jaune smiled.

"_Berserker. Mage. Champion!"_

The first two runes appeared without a problem. But the rune for champion shone with power…more so than the others.

"Guess even runes can become prestige."

Runes were the embodiment of concepts. They drew power from the concepts they represented and as such they could vary in power. Much like the class system can vary in power so did the rune. The champion was too much for Jaune…or rather he didn't have the pieces to understand it fully. That could change. Jaune focused on warrior first, analyzing the rune for some time. He began to think on what it meant to be a warrior. After all, a warrior was not a soldier. A soldier fought for their country whereas a warrior fought for many different things. They could fight for country but they could also fight for family, for money, for a variety of different reasons. There was no singular answer as to what a warrior could be, only that at its base concept a warrior was an individual skilled in the art of combat.

To Jaune's eyes the rune glowed and become more focused. The runes lines straightened and became more cohesive. The rune was complete. Jaune knew there would be more to discover as time went on, but he knew how the rune was truly written now. Jaune grinned as he was starting to see how runes could be merged. It wasn't that Jaune didn't know how to write runes together…it was that he couldn't write the runes themselves properly.

"_Funny"_ thought Jaune _"to think I was using the runes so haphazardly. To be honest I shudder to think of what these runes could do at full power." _

And his class was supposed to boost them beyond the norm? Jaune was starting to see why his class was prestige. Jaune focused on Samurai next and quickly found that the rune was already partly decoded shall we say. The rune was shining brightly and some of the lines were not blurred in his mindscape. A samurai was a warrior…but one bound in honor as far as Jaune could tell. There way of fighting and living was under a strict code of ethics and rules of combat. They were warriors bound to honor so as to live on the "correct" path of being a warrior. No, even that was too rudimentary. It wasn't that they were bound to honor…but rather that Samurai were a caste of warriors that held themselves to principles that honored themselves…and also their enemies…they honored death. The rune for Samurai glowed even brighter and was now complete. Jaune was beginning to see that his understanding didn't need to be complete to master a rune. For that was only the beginning. The better Jaune knew a rune and its concept the more runes he could write it with. A warrior was fluid and bendable which made it the ideal class rune to merge with others. But as far as Jaune could see the Samurai rune was rigid and strong. It was limited in what could be written with it but in turn the singular rune was more powerful. They were like puzzles…overly magical puzzles.

Jaune rolled his neck as he decided to take a break.

"How many hours left" sighed Jaune.

**The player has 5 hours remaining.**

"WHAT!?" roared Jaune.

It probably took an hour for Jaune to make it to the building in the first place. It meant that Jaune had somehow spent 6 hours meditating on two runes.

"….time flies when you're learning runes" muttered Jaune.

It was utterly insane to Jaune but at the same time runes were magical by nature. He had to admit it may have been a tad over reaching on his part to believe he could master a rune in several minutes.

"I could have been attacked" muttered Jaune "I have to be more careful. Meditate when I get home. Meditating in the punishment zone what was I thinking?"

Jaune knew what he was thinking. He thought the place would be easy. Torch everything to the ground and meditate on the ashes. Simple. Than the system revealed that the entire punishment zone was in fact a separate existing world and that it was suited to his strengths and weaknesses.

Bullshit but fine.

Either way he had to survive. At least he only had five hours now rather than eleven.

"Maybe I should hunt more of those birds" muttered Jaune "get some more Damascus steel…nah better make my own."

Jaune made his way to the staff and picked it up. It was black in color and spiraled near the top, a mage's staff. He once again activated the duel skills to analyze, deconstruct, and copy the staff. Jaune felt the history of the weapon again, stronger and more vivid.

_A man leading two children to the building, his eyes filled with worry. His ears were oddly pointed and he looked more like a beast than a human. A man beast of some kind. _

_They opened the door and sighed in relief, holding their children close to their body. Their staff lied on the floor as they simply sat there. _

_The man muttered platitudes to his children. Thanking them for listening. That they were going to be ok. The door they shut had an opening this time. It was wood, not steel. He could see…a red gate spiraling open and monsters pouring out…red wolves and odd birds…suddenly the room was filling with gas. A person lifted the staff and placed it against the wall. _

Jaune staggered back as the staff was dismantled.

"The gate…they failed to close a gate" muttered Jaune.

"**That would be correct"** muttered a gravelly voice.

Jaune turned around, flames ignited, and felt something slam into his face and he knew no more.

**-Weiss and Pyrrha in the guild house, 10 AM-**

"So he just left?" asked Weiss.

Pyrrha nodded, holding Jaune's note.

"It seems he left at dawn."

"….why would he? Doesn't matter" muttered Weiss "what he does is his business. I just hope he comes back before dark. How are Coco and the others settling in."

Pyrrha gave a shaky smile as she gestured to her right. Weiss and Pyrrha were in the grand hall as they were calling the front foyer. At the entrance of the east wing was Coco smiling and giving orders, her eyes glowing silver.

"Come Yatsuhashi I said two inches to the left not three! We got to have this perfect!"

"…I see they settled in quite nicely" smiled Weiss.

"Coco said once they settle in they want to meet the rest of the guild."

Weiss nodded and rubbed her eyes. She got some sleep the other night but it didn't change the fact that she was still exhausted on the paper work.

"I swear if the Merchant guild sends another missive I will freeze their guild house" muttered Weiss.

"They're that bad?"

"Worse" sighed Weiss "I have never been subjected to such passive aggressiveness in my life. The mages of Atlas were petty but this is something else entirely. They keep alluding that we'll regret taking a resource from them."

Pyrrha looked shocked.

"They would call him that?"

Weiss sighed as she looked away.

"You'd be quite surprised how the hero and noble classes think of the laborer's. I know a few mages who have called on ironwood to allow…experimentation."

Key one being her father. Pyrrha looked sick.

"…..I knew that I would be discovering new things outside of Mistral but to think…"

"I know" muttered Weiss "it's why I had to leave. It's why I refuse to let them anywhere near Jaune or the others. At the moment all we can do is hold them off until Ozpin gets a hold of them. They forgot where they are and the limitations of it. This will all come to pass but we have to stay vigilant. Thanks for accompanying me today Pyrrha, I'd rather not meet Blake's contact alone."

Pyrrha beamed.

"No problem Weiss. Yang and Ruby are at the communal baths right now and I don't mind helping. I think Ren and Nora went with them but I'm not sure."

"Blake's bringing her contact here now so we'll have to do for now."

BANG BANG BANG.

"There you go Yatsuhashi! Perfect!"

Weiss looked at Coco's back and sighed.

"I think it's best we take this outside."

Pyrrha smiled.

"Might be for the best."

As the two made their way out the front opening they noticed Blake making her way up the path with two people in tow. One was an odd girl with pink and brown hair. An illusionist named Neo. She wore Victorian style clothes with a jacket, parcel, and high heel boots. Pyrrha could tell this girl was strong both in mana and in the way she carried herself. The other one was noticeably weaker but carried a smug charisma. He had a bowler hat and a white jacket with a cane in his right hand. He was smoking a cigar that disappeared into his inventory. The man smiled as he neared them. Blake stood at Weiss's side as the man smiled and bowed.

"The name is Roman Torchwick…and I believe we can help each other?" he smiled.

The class thief hung high above his head in pride. Weiss was quick to ask her questions but Pyrrha couldn't help but think.

"_I wonder how Jaune's doing?"_

**-Unknown location-**

Jaune opened his eyes without any trouble and only had one thing to say.

"I feel defeated…and oddly rejuvenated" he muttered.

**The player was knocked out! As they were unconscious the "Spellcaster's Blessing" took effect.**

"_Well that's convenient" _

Something scuffled out of the darkness. Jaune felt himself bound and suspended from the ceiling of wherever he was. He struggled for a minute but slowed as the shuffling got louder and something came closer. Everything was dark when suddenly the lights turned on. He saw desks, designs, and alchemy circles all across the room. It was like an underground bunker for a mad scientist. Jaune saw a hunched over robed figure making their way over to him. Their hood and robe obscured their body. As they neared him Jaune saw it in all its bony glory, a human skull staring blankly at him.

"**Hello…test subject." **

"….ah crap" muttered Jaune.

END.

Next Update: The Ultimate Weapon!

Till next time guys!


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Thanks to school this took a bit longer than I wanted to finish. It is currently unedited so it might be a bit rougher than you're all used to. Either way please enjoy it!**

**The next update is: Ultimate Weapon!**

**(PS. Apologies again about the roughness of this chapter XD)**

The Arcane Craftsman Chapter 10:

"**I must admit I am intrigued how you have come to be in this realm. However, that matters little." **

Jaune blinked at the creature with a passive expression. He looked up and tested the weight of the chains. The chains rattled as Jaune lifted himself and dropped. The creature laughed and Jaune narrowed his eyes. Whatever this skeleton thing was it was no lich. Lich's were not necessarily undead souls. Contrary to popular belief liches were not created but born. There was of course the stereotype that all the ancient "Necromancer" classes had turned themselves into undead. That was false. Instead Lich's were born from the souls of those that could not move on. Their shattered remains were enough to give fertile ground to such creatures. If enough power is available the creature is born with remnants of the souls' personality, resulting in what was effectively an undead copy. It was why lich's didn't have classes and were mostly comprised of energy. Jaune had no idea why people thought liches were skeletal creatures. Which meant this thing was not a lich.

"**It's useless"** chuckled the boneman **"those chains are more than strong enough to restrain a newly minted B rank."**

Jaune stilled. The terminology it used was familiar to him, too familiar.

"_This isn't a normal monster_" thought Jaune.

The thing before him was just a skeleton. It wore a baggy black robe that covered part of its skull and most of its body. Yet, for some reason its arms were exposed, revealing the bare bones for all to see. These bones were engraved with strange markings that seemed filled with some kind of filling. From within the hood two glowing blue orbs of mana seemed to function like "eyes" as far as Jaune could tell. Jaune swallowed as his inspect skill took hold.

**INSPECT!**

**The Idiot Alchemist/B09e B34rd/M?! t (Rank: B)**

**Species: N/A**

**The idiot alchemist themselves. The poor copy of an idiot that attempted to mimic the pseudo immortality that all undead share. A spell is currently in place that skews identify information as such some information is unavailable. **

**ALERT!**

**You have found a mini boss! KILLING INTENT HAS BEEN DETECTED! Due to the nature of the punishment zone the "Kill or be killed" quest has been nullified. New Quest has been given**

**Destroy Target (Difficulty: B+)**

**This creature has secrets of the world. Killing it will reveal the location of the boss! **

**Rewards: Medium XP. World Map. Checkpoint.**

"….."

Jaune narrowed his eyes as he looked at his situation. The creature speaking was irrelevant, what concerned him more was how to get out.

"**Your body will do nicely." **

On second thought paying attention might be good.

"I'm sorry what?" asked Jaune.

"**Your body. I want it. It reeks of magical potential. It's strength and durability is also pleasing. You reek of abyssal magics and yet your body remains pure! Such excellent material is exactly what I need so I will take it." **

Jaune tensed as the creature tried to stab its boney hands into his stomach. Jaune blinked as the skeleton's fingers broke apart on impact. Jaune felt a cool sensation but promptly rejected it.

**DARK INVASION HAS OCCURRED!  
THE PLAYER HAS RESISTED DARK INVASION DUE TO "TITLE" SKILLS AND PASSIVES. **

"…**That's new"** muttered the creature **"I was sure that spell was infallible….have I forgotten again? No, no…maybe…NO!" **

Jaune jumped at the sudden outburst as the lich thing gripped its boney head. Jaune watched with a morbid interest as the shattered fingers were lifted and but back into place. From its eye sockets came two artificial eyes, the fake organs rolling around before focusing on Jaune. Their irises glowed with a blue light and seemed to be attempting to analyze him. Jaune said attempt because he could feel the mana trying to insert into his flesh, only to be rebuke heavily.

**The Player's C rank Mana Resistance has decreased the effects of "Eyes of Grasping" (D).**

Apparently, it wasn't as total as the system made it out to be as the skeleton tilted its skull. However, it made Jaune think that the "Inspect" may not be as all powerful as he thought. That was…concerning. Suddenly the Skeleton was blown back by a golden light emanating from Jaune's chest. Its head was blown apart only to be brought back together. Jaune felt the light of Enya and her anger flow through his chest. She was angry but…it was a dark kind of anger…righteous but wild. It wasn't fully concentrated on Jaune though…something was going on.

"**Tsk. Stupid Gods. Just because the boundaries in this world are more fluid ! WHY BOTHER TRYING WHEN YOU CAN BARELY EVEN SPEAK. Fucking Enya…go back to your useless existence!" **

"_Did this?"_

Divine retribution wasn't actually a thing. The Gods existed no doubt but it was rare for them to be able to exert their power on the physical plane without repercussions on themselves. But in this instance Enya acted through Jaune himself…his body still ached from the energy even though his health and mana were fine. Even though the Gods could not attack the fact that this skeleton cussed out Enya put Jaune in a bad mood. The skeleton stared at Jaune.

"**Of course, you have blessings. Just my luck! Don't worry, WE'LL BE TOGETHER SOON! HAHAHAHAHAHA."**

Jaune shivered as the creature seemed to caress his bare neck. Apparently, it may have failed to inspect him fully, but the arrival of Enya's power told it enough.

"**Did you think such conflict would prevent the insertion of my essence?" **

"_Oh, fuck no"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune wasn't one for swearing but this situation called for it.

"**Is that enough…NO, NO! I am never wrong! Something is interfering! Gods cannot access the physical plane! Enya would incarnate everything if she did! So, she isn't interfering! My magic is infallible…that's right! That's right! I wouldn't want to harm such beautiful flesh…oh how I miss my body. My Dark Invasion is a delicate technique." **

The system pinged as it chimed in.

**It is not. **

"**It requires perfect conditions obviously!" **

**That is incorrect. **

"**There must be mystical interference within the area! Enya can only do so much! THE BITCH!"**

**Dark invasion is a possession-based skill that devours the soul of the recipient. By doing so the caster can attain the physical form and properties of the victim. Only those born within the abyssal depths between worlds are capable of separating their entire essence and devouring the that of another due to the fact they have had no physical form to begin with, with some expectations. While this allows for complete and utter control of a target it requires that certain general conditions be met. The key factor is strength. While this creature's strength exceeds your own at this time your immunity is absolute. This creature has successfully copied the "Dark Invasion" skill but its being is not designed for its use. As such there can be side effects. **

The creature began to rant even further to the point it was spewing nonsense. Jaune could feel Enya slowly leave reluctantly. Jaune's body cooled down as the tiny sliver of Enya's power left his body, but not before Jaune felt worry and concern. Gods were…essentially super powered spirits on steroids. They were the andromorphic embodiment of concepts or phenomenon. Under ordinary circumstances a God cannot truly interact with the physical plane. Not because something stopped them.

But because the world would literally break apart if they did.

The act of gods breaking through into the mortal plane had consequences, well documented consequences. The world rejected them to a degree and yet asserted their presence as well. This friction resulted in…a situation that people would rather avoid. A sun god descends to the mortal plan than the area they arrive in would turn to ash. A god of war descends than people would be more prone to conflict till all war breaks out. A goddess of light and healing…well cancer was a thing wasn't it? There were of course times that gods could descend without issue. The boundary of worlds weakened on Remnant from time to time, removing the friction that came with a God forcing their way through and thus preventing for a period of time any apocalyptic issues. The fact that Jaune could feel Enya's presence and hear her and Salem from time to time was normal. Gods could do that much at least. But to actually FEEL and SEE her power first hand?

There was something wrong with this world, even though the help was appreciated.

"Is he still ranting?" thought Jaune.

Sure, enough the skeleton kept going on and on. Jaune noticed that it was talking about some sort of alchemic formula as far as Jaune could understand it. It was obvious that this creature was intelligent. Scarily so.

It was also retarded. Deeply so.

The formulas that it was uttering were adept at forcing spiritual dissolution and the transfer of spiritual energy. The issue was that this creature was completely forgoing the inclusion of their own mana to stabilize the spell and the use of actual alchemic ingredients and circles. These were things that were automatically created thanks to the class abilities of an alchemist. For instance, take an Alchemist who is trying to create a potion. Normal people would have to have the perfect temperature, the exact ingredients down to the smallest possible and accurate weight. They would also have to draw alchemic circles and the list went on. An Alchemist class at their most basic went as follows.

Activate Skill to form circle.

Throw the ingredients into mixture/ritual.

Activate supplementary skills for additional potency

Store product.

It was disgustingly simple and merely an over abbreviation of the actual procedure. Yet, while this was simple it was also incredibly restraining. This thing seemed to completely ignore the need to stabilize the "Dark Invasion" spell which should have destabilized the spell so thoroughly that it would be unusable. Without a class that naturally gained the skill this…thing wasn't capable of using it at full power. However, it was due to the fact that it wasn't locked by class that it could salvage the spell in the first place. Jaune was in complete aww. This thing had somehow mimicked skills through alchemy and bypassed the class system. It was deemed impossible and yet here it was. Jaune knew that he lacked the deep knowledge to replicate such a thing. It was something only possible when someone wasn't trapped within a "Class". Still there were things that even Jaune, who barely had any experience with alchemy knew about. Power meant nothing without control. This thing was brute forcing miracles to happen and while that allowed it to preform incredible things, they were also fragile. It was probably why its attempts at making a human body kept failing…but that begged the question why it needed to make one in the first place? If this spirit was capable of taking over bodies than why did it need to make one?

Jaune let a snort out as he realized why those wolves were the way they were. The idiot was trying to make a monster to human transmutation wasn't he. Would explain why only the lower jaw was metallic. You'd think after failing enough times to make a pack of them you'd realize something was wrong. What kind of an idiot tried to make a human body out of wolves in the first place anyways? Jaune stared at the rambling skeleton as a sinking feeling hit his stomach. What if…what if the people he saw in the weapon's history was this thing's…The alchemist turns around and had the odd eyes scan him over.

"**DO NOT LAUGH AT ME SIMPLETON! It was I that put you in those chains! You will not be getting out!" **

Jaune rose an eyebrow. He small chuckle had escaped him a minute ago.

"A little delayed there isn't it?"

Jaune knew he should have kept his mouth shut. The skeleton sent a pulse of some kind of magic that hit Jaune in the chest. He noticed there were alchemic symbols around the skeletons rib cage, noticeable due to a glow from underneath its robe. Jaune wheezed as he felt his ribs crash into his lungs. Jaune jerked his arms and legs, trying to escape. The room shook from the force of Jaune's legs making the skeleton laugh. Jaune smirked though. The ceiling had cracked from Jaune's little exertion and the chains themselves were starting to show cracks. Thank you titles.

"**I will be back brat." **

The skeleton left, leaving Jaune alone hanging in this lab. The tables were spread out with numerous beakers filled with different ingredients of some kind with a board in the distance containing some alchemic circle formulae. Jaune grunted as he put more force from his arms. The ceiling cracked again as Jaune smirked. Yet he frowned, noticing a picking sound.

TINK. TINK. TINK.

Jaune looked at his feet. There was nothing there but he could have sworn he felt something brush past. Jaune grunted as he exerted his full strength and tried to crush the chains. The ones around his wrist distorted as the ceiling bent. Jaune clicked his tongue noticing that he was in a bunker of some sort. The ceiling was made of some kind of metal.

"Seriously though what kind of genius has limbs hanging from the ceiling?"

It seemed like villainous over kill and completely unnecessary. The damn limbs weren't even flesh at this point just pure bone. How long did they have to be abandoned up there for that to happen? Jaune grunted as he pulled the chains again. A dull echo and the rattle of chains filled the room as Jaune looked at the exit. He sighed a breath of relief at seeing no one rushing into stop him. The chains were bent now, their ranking too weak to really dig into his skin. Still though it was holding up admirably Jaune would admit. Maybe there was a spell interwoven or something.

TINK. TINK. TINK. TINK.

Jaune looked down again. Nothing.

"_I know I felt something"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune looked to the doorway the skeleton left though. The barren path in the midst of fallen papers was undisturbed. Wherever the skeleton went to it was either too far away to hear him escaping…or perhaps it didn't care. He was hesitant to use magic. He had rushed before and more importantly underestimated this world. The wolves alone had injured Jaune…there was no telling what kind of fucked up crap this weirdo was capable of. Using magic could alert it and have it attack Jaune before he was prepared. It snuck up on him once…he hoped he could avoid that again.

TINK. TINK. TINK. TINK. TINK. TINK. TINK.

Rather than look down Jaune instead looked around for anything he could use. Whatever it was it was trying to help him. He could feel small tremors from the anklet on his legs, the thing hitting the metal over and over. Thankfully the desks seemed to be metallic. The blue light that seemed to glow from the ceiling made it hard to see a reflection clearly. Jaune focused his eye sight and felt something…click. His vision increased in clarity and distance but his eyes hurt as he did it. Jaune looked into the reflection of the closest desk but had to close his eyes from the pain. Whatever he did it wasn't natural for him. Yet, from what little he could see he noticed that it was…a black thing with blue lines. Actually it looked like..

"A chicken?" muttered Jaune.

"SQACK!"

Jaune titled and looked down at a wispy black….thing jump away from his feet before dashing into his shadow of all things. Normally Jaune would have freaked out…but from what little glimpse he got of the thing…it was cute.  
"….hey….hey little buddy…you trying to free me? I won't hurt you I promise."

Nothing happened but Jaune could feel something swimming below his feet.

"I promise I won't do anything."

A head peered from his shadow, the large white circular eyes making contact with Jaune. It slowly rose from beneath his feet and tilted its head. It had the head of a reptile but it was hard to tell if it had scales or not. Its body seemed to glow in the darkness, the blue lines pulsating with energy. Its head was large but the thing was chunky as hell. Like a fluffy fat cat. A baby at that. It barely reached Jaune's calf. It shuffled around on its meaty legs, three toes on each large foot with talons like a hawk. As it shuffled around Jaune noticed it had bat like wings as well. From what Jaune could see this creature stood to about Jaune's knee. It waddled to Jaune's chains and began to peck with all its might. It reared its head back and slammed its maw into the metal, denting it slightly. It waddled back, it's white circular eyes now spirals, as it tried to straighten its vision. Jaune chuckled a bit wondering why it would attempt such a thing without a beak.

"Well you're cute I'll give you that. Think you can back up?"

The creature showed its intelligence and waddled/shuffled its way across the floor. Its chunky body preventing its from doing so in a straight line. Then it jumped up and flew to one of the tables, situating itself a fair bit away. Jaune took a breath and began to pull both his arms and legs into his core. The metal groaned as Jaune neared his stomach. With a grunt and final exertion, he broke the chains binding him. Both the wrist manacles and one around his left ankle remained, but Jaune was no longer chained up.

Jaune smiled as he rolled his shoulders.

"Well that's that."

He looked down at the chunky lizard who was now hiding behind a desk. Jaune knelt down and smiled, holding his hand out.

"Hey….I promised I wouldn't hurt you right?"

It peaked it head out and titled its head.  
"Come on" smiled Jaune in a whisper.

Jaune blinked as the creature flew and situated itself in front of him, awkward and shy. Jaune placed his hand in front of it, just under the nose. The creature sniffed and before Jaune knew it rumbled into his hand, enjoying the contact. No…not just enjoying it. The creature seemed starved for attention as it enjoyed Jaune's caresses. Jaune noticed that the lizard had some white scars around its wings.

"Who would hurt a cute thing like you?" asked Jaune "…what even are you anyways?"

As always, the system answered with a ding.

**Species: Shadow**

**A creature of the Abyss. They can come in many forms. They feed off sources of mana for sustenance and strength. The system can eject this creature should the player choose. **

Jaune stared at the creature. To Jaune it looked like a Wyvern more than anything. The wyvern lifted its head in pleasure as Jaune ran his hand down its neck. The things body felt real…but was unmistakably made of black mana. In fact, it looked more like a Grimm creature the longer Jaune stared at it. But even so.

"So, you can't survive on your own huh…well why don't you stay with me. You tried breaking me out anyways so you can't be all bad."

The wyvern blinked and stilled. The creature stared at Jaune tirelessly.

"I'm serious little guy, you can stick with me."

Jaune didn't want to admit that the only reason Jaune had considered keeping it so quickly was because it was chunky and cute. He was always weak to cute things. The wyvern seemed to shiver and Jaune watched white liquid fall from its eyes. Jaune felt his mirth leave him as he stared at this lonely creature. How lonely could something be to attach itself to someone so quickly? Either way what's done is done.

**Is the Player sure about this?**

"Yes."

**WARNING! This action cannot be undone. **

"What action?" sighed Jaune "I'm keeping this wyvern."

**Very well. The companion bond will now initiate.**

"The what?"

Jaune felt a surge of energy go between him and the beast and suddenly Jaune knew. They were connected as master and familiar. Jaune smiled as the wyvern jumped onto his shoulder. Yet, Jaune looked to the entrance of this lab and swallowed. If he had noticed the energy surge than that skeleton sure did. Yet, nothing came, leading Jaune to breath a sigh of relief. As he looked around the lab Jaune came to a decision as he stood up.

"Mom always said to know your enemy. Let's see what we can find."

Jaune chuckled as she Wyvern stretched its long wings, showing the little stubby foreclaw at each wing. Seems it could walk on all fours of necessary…but if the claw was so small it might not support this things weight, if it had any. Jaune began his search through the documents on the floor. He didn't want to spend too much time in this room but he wanted to try and learn something before he left. The paper he picked up was literally a recipe for crackers.

"…but this thing doesn't eat…does it?" muttered Jaune.

Another paper was a write up on how to make health potions taste sweeter. He was about to throw it away when Jaune realized he had NO recipe for health potions at all. Jaune looked around as he folded the paper, keeping it in one of the pockets on his pants. It wasn't stealing if the guy was dead…well undead.

"Don't mind if I do" muttered Jaune.

Perhaps it was the danger of the lich wannabe returning but Jaune felt as if his search of the room took forever. Worse yet, nothing had come from his search. Most of the pages he found were a scribbled mess and others nonsensical in the worst way. One was a recipe for a pepper bomb. It wasn't even good it was literally a bomb that created peppers, one that didn't even work. There was another that made purple turn into orange which Jaune admitted was interesting. It wasn't overly complicated either. However, there were a rare few that Jaune knew were genius. The transmutation of matter was one such page…and Jaune was incapable of using it. The complexity of transforming one piece of matter into any other form of matter was beyond him at this time…perhaps even forever. This thing was devilishly smart…and so friggen stupid it wasn't even funny. Jaune tried a final one, this one a potion for something called EXP Booster. He destroyed it without a second thought. The EXP booster was the work of a mad Alchemist that in modern times was referred to as Bluebeard. It was a forbidden potion not just because bluebeard was a child raping nut but also because the side effects were horrific long term. The mixture was infused with such strong addictive properties that it was nothing better than a drug, one that wrecked the body and stats when used. While it would quickly allow someone to elevate to A rank, their stats wouldn't match their level. In comparison to the average A rank the drug using individuals would be like wet paper facing a bullet. No contest. However, their mana was still potent and as such their skills would still hit at full power. A kind of glass cannon in a way. Jaune stilled as he felt his connection to the shadow Wyvern grow. It wanted him for something but when Jaune tried to approach it the Wyvern merely flew away. Right out of the door. As he approached the door Jaune grimaced as he couldn't see through the dark. The entire hallway was nothing but a pitch-black void. Yet, within the darkness was the glow of the wyvern. Its blue markings becoming a Beacon. Jaune felt around and managed to find a wall. He slowly followed the wyvern, careful to avoid any loud noises. Suddenly the wyvern landed on Jaune's shoulder and tapped the side of his head twice. Jaune narrowed his eyes in confusion until he felt the urge to move his hand lower down the wall. Jaune sighed at the Wyvern but relented. This bond thing was getting weird. Jaune felt around below him until he felt his hand sink in, causing it to erupt in a purple light. Jaune covered his eyes as the wall disintegrated, revealing a room. Jaune held his mouth closed as he looked at the giant tubes filling the room. Filled with a green liquid of some kind these tubes were filled with…with children.

"…What is this?" whispered Jaune.

Jaune slowly moved through the room. The glow of the tubes gave the room enough illumination for Jaune to look through the room. The children within were beast men, their andromorphic bodies in full display. On the tube on the far right lied a desk. Jaune approached it and noticed a few books and papers. The first one was titled "Adaptive genetic manipulation". The book was old, damn near tatters and judging from the title Jaune could guess what it was trying to do. These were another experiment for creating a body, a human one. The children were bare but malformed and obviously long dead. The milky eyes and decayed skin were proof enough. Jaune grinded his teeth as he looked at all of this. The wolves and now children? What so it could live or become alive or some crap? Bullshit… it was all just bullshit. Jaune noticed the Wyvern had landed on the desk quite heavily. It jumped up again causing a page to fall from under the desk.

"….how did you find this?" muttered Jaune.

Jaune turned his head to the opening in the wall and sighed in relief. He needed to get out of here that much was true but at the moment it was best to gather some form of intelligence on this enemy. For starters Jaune could state that this thing was a spirit…yet Jaune had never faced a spirit that had sole control over a body like this. He was in unknown territory right now with only vague landmarks. Jaune had seen what happened to unprepared teams.

Information was a powerful tool against any enemy. While he had gathered some of this thing's history from INSPECT it told nothing of the creature's abilities. Jaune sighed as he rose the paper to read it, it wasn't as if he had anything else to lose. Surprisingly, it was a crudely written letter, old and crinkled. The page turned yellow with time and almost crunched under Jaune's gentle hand. The vibrant purple ink made reading the ancient letter easier.

**It's…it happened again. A moment of sanity in this forsaken sea of black. This thing….THIS THING. I can't describe what it did to me. I've managed to have moments of clarity before this and never bothered to put myself on a page or write my feelings…but…there's less of me now. I can't even remember my name. Every time I wake up…I find more of myself missing. I had bits of my skin missing once and now…now I can see my damn bones. I can even move my hand if I try. I'm so scared…and alone. I don't know what's happening to me…no….no that's a lie. A lie to tell myself so I can feel better. This thing is EATING me. Bit by bit, piece by piece. It's not just eating my body. It's taking my mind MY SOUL! It's…all I know is that it is trying to have a body made of flesh for some…reason I can't understand. Every host it has had has disintegrated, well all its human ones anyway. It started taking some kids from this Red Gate world and it…I can't. Every time I open my eyes all I see are those poor children twisting under his energy. I want nothing more than to kill it! I've done suicide in every possible means I could! I EVEN JUMPED INTO A VOLCANO! Every death I just go to this void only to wake up repaired and another few decade's pass, each stretch longer and longer to a point I can't even keep track if I wanted to. I can't remember my name at all…if I had a family…hell I can't even tell you what I am beyond some kind of "Human" as this thing puts it. I've forgotten everything that could possibly matter. To have no memory of anything before now but know it existed…it's like I'm starving for water amidst a lake. If it's not this thing driving me mind than its this HOLE IN MY SOUL! I'm…I'm rotting away just like my body, soul and all. There will be nothing left of me. No peace after death…nothing. This single page…it's all that will be left of me. Whatever this thing is after its not working…and honestly, I don't think it cares. It's just doing the motions and doesn't care what gets in the way…it destroyed my life, that much I know but what it did here...I go outside in my brief moments of freedom and I find nothing but destroyed buildings, broken bodies, and discarded weapons. This thing killed all of them, those that lived here and my heart…or rather what's left of it, burns with such intensity that I can literally see it hammering in my ribs. I have to hide this…no one will read this I know…but it will be my tombstone. The only thing that can prove that I existed…whoever I am. I leave this note as a reminder that…whoever I was, existed. **

Jaune put down the note staring at it.

"…What on Remnant am I dealing with?" muttered Jaune.

He heard of possession. It was actually pretty standard in A rank dungeon and one of the core reasons the mana resistance skill was an absolute necessity. Spirit based enemies had the power to inhabit an individual and temporarily assume control of their abilities. A terrifying concept when one was dealing with A rank people. The mana resistance skill allowed someone to actively resist possession. While it may not grant full immunity the struggle itself would forewarn everyone as to what was happening. But without a body spirits as Jaune knew them were relatively harmless. As such they were the weakest of all monsters. But this dark invasion…it was like a virus to the soul…utterly desecrating the soul itself in order to make room for another. Such an action would destroy the body and all its abilities…which meant that all this magic and power was this spirit's own. It was not a lich…but for some reason this spirit was parading that poor man's skeleton as a facsimile of one. This wasn't a struggle for temporary control but a skill to utterly dominate an enemy's corpse and take it as your own. This poor bastard didn't have Jaune's immunity to it…and suffered accordingly. Jaune never actively hated anything aside from Uther and his cronies. But this thing…

It needed to die.

He was raised on the principles of a Knight, a Knight of the Round at that. The facts were simple. Running away wasn't feasible. Those wolves were attacking Jaune damn near the second he arrived in this world. They chased him to a cliff, a cliff in which he had to jump off of to travel an absurd distance. The only way it could have followed him was if it was watching him from the very beginning. That or Jaune's luck was truly that shitty to have landed at this spirit's base. Fighting it was a damn near certainty. Hiding was doable Jaune supposed but a risk as well. It was best to confront this thing and kill it for all the death and agony it caused. Perhaps this young man was angrier than anticipated.

"It may be a bit stronger than me" muttered Jaune "but I won't lose."

The feeling of losing was something deeply ingrained within Jaune. When his father finally succumbed to the sleep, when he lost out on easy jobs, when Isabella and him had separated, and when he lost the damn cake on his birthday…he fucking loved that cake to. The feeling of loss was something Jaune knew well. As such his chest burned at the anticipation of this battle…for good and ill.

"SQUAK!"

Jaune turned and smiled at the Wyvern sitting on his shoulder.

"You're a chubby cutie aren't you?" smiled Jaune, running his finger under the Wyvern's chin.

He always wanted a pet when he was younger. He interacted with his mother's lion Solomon but it wasn't the same as having a companion as your own. Solomon was a dear friend though…and another reason that Uther needed to die. The Wyvern jumped off Jaune's shoulder, the trace of mana from Jaune's body following it to a corner of the room. The Wyvern squawked again and titled a wing to a small doll in the corner. Jaune picked it up and it was a doll not unlike one a small child may get. It looked more like a Faunus than the average human and it was just thrown into this corner without a care. Jaune looked around and noticed a few other toys thrown around into this corner, slowly dying from the ravages of time. The arm on the doll Jaune was holding fell off, the cloth used having disintegrated. The system pinged.

**Alert! A new quest has been added!**

**Quest: Lay to Rest**

**The player can bury this doll if they wish.**

**Rewards: miniscule XP.**

"….How does something even think of doing this?" asked Jaune.

The Wyvern tilted its head before flying off to do as it wished. Suddenly the Wyvern crashed into the ground in shock of some kind. Jaune watched the Wyvern than waddled onto the floor and back into Jaune's shadow. Jaune felt the fear through their bond and quickly reacted. Jaune jumped to the side, dodging some kind of black energy.

"**Tsk, so you managed to escape. No matter. Your flesh is mine regardless." **

Jaune was about to sigh in relief when he noticed the ground was wet. Jaune slowly turned his head to the left and noticed one of the supposedly dead children were twitching on the floor…only to still a moment later.

"…."

"**I can feel your fear!"** chuckled the skeleton** "come on is that all it took? A little experiment on the floor? They don't make Remnants like they used to." **

Jaune scowled.

Jaune charged at the creature, dodging to the left as another blast of black magic sizzled past. Before the skeleton could do anything Jaune had already struck. He jumped forward and superman punched the Skeleton's skull. Jaune grinned as he watched the skull crack from the force he exerted…only for the crack to disappear almost instantly. The skull looked in his direction and titled its head.

"**My turn." **

The spirit held a bony hand out and Jaune saw black. He felt something trying to twist and burn into his skin and pushing him back. The force was great enough that Jaune barreled through the metal surrounding him and tore right into the outside. The sun burned into Jaune's eyes and the young man tried to right his body correctly in the air. Jaune landed hard as the blast dissipated, but he was not out. Jaune rolled to the side and quickly got up, dodging a more precise bolt aimed at where he was.

"**Tsk. Your hide is tougher than I thought. My magic is substantially stronger than your own even with your natural element being what it is. Even the minor boost of the sun you get won't save you." **

Jaune rolled his shoulders and grinned. The blast hurt no doubt…but.

**The Player has lost 200 Health!**

It was negligible at best.

"**I wonder why? No no no…it should be a different way!?"**

Jaune sighed. This thing wasn't mad, not really. It was just broken. A fragmented copy of someone that died long ago and was twisted by the experiments it preformed on itself.

"**Just a labor caste!"** muttered the spirit **"shouldn't withstand my power!? YOU!"** it demanded **"YOU VEX ME! I will figure out how you work. Now be prepared for the dark power of the abyss!" **

"….you do realize that I understand the alchemy you engraved into your ribs right?"

"….."

The thing lowered its hand and stared at him.

"….You didn't think I wouldn't notice?" chuckled Jaune "I saw the abyss in its entirety. I know exactly what it feels like. You're just using wind magic that's tinted black. Your scare tactics won't work on GRK!"

From beneath him a torrent of black wind reached for his throat and attempted to crush it. Thankfully his body was strong enough to withstand the force but not enough to prevent asphyxiation. The skeleton floated towards Jaune.

"**You've seen the abyss? Ahh…a returner! I see her wretched mark all over you!"**

**ALERT!**

**A returner is another term for those that reawaken!**

"_Thanks for nothing"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune rose an eyebrow as he was being choked. He gripped the magic at his throat and used his passive to ignite the wind. It was of course snuffed out, the magic within stronger than his own. But now that his hands were covered in mana Jaune was capable of wrenching free. It was easy to do oddly enough. A quick tug and the mana dispersed in a shutter of embers. Before he fell to the ground Jaune reared back and socked the skeleton in the head. This time all his strength was used and Jaune sent the head flying away, splintered into little pieces. He felt sorry for the body that was taken for this creatures' purposes but right now his own survival took priority. Jaune couldn't help the grin that came to his face as he watched the creature piece its skull back together instantaneously. Jaune jumped back trying to gain some distance.

"_It can repair itself"_ thought Jaune _"but attacks with black wind magic. This things magic is strong enough to knock me around but now that I see it coming its not overly concerning…no….can't think like that. This thing knocked me out before prepared or otherwise. Got to be careful and think. Any damage I do just gets repaired…." _

Jaune clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"**Salem"** growled the skeleton **"YOU'RE MARKED BY SALEM!"**

"What of it" snarled Jaune.

Seems the spirit was in the mood to talk for now. Good. Gave Jaune time to think his next move.

"**Salem is what made me this way!"** roared the spirit **"I am banished from death! Banished from life!"**

The system pinged as Jaune the creature began to rant incoherently. The noise coming from it was a jumbled mess, a further sign of its instability as what was left of its mind splintered from rage.

**WORLD BOUNDRY IS WEAK! DIRECT COMMUNICATION ESTABLISHED!**

"Direct what now?" muttered Jaune.

Jaune stilled as a familiar voice echoed through his head. The from the shadows came Salem, her face pensive as she looked around.

"**Oh? I went through."**

"Salem?" muttered Jaune.

A throaty chuckle echoed up Jaune's spine.

"**Hello entertainer. A pleasure to speak with you again. It's been a while since I could last manifest physically." **

"But you were there?"

Salem chuckled.

"**An illusion entertainer, nothing more. A bit of magic to heighten your senses to seem as if time stopped and an illusion to show myself. After all…wouldn't want your world to break now would I?"**

Jaune looked at the skeleton and realized that it was frozen in time. The world around Jaune was frozen…but the color seemed to be draining away bit by bit. This was completely different than the last time Salem had shown herself back at the guild house.

"**Under ordinary circumstances I wouldn't bother at all with such filth and just watch you struggle. Consider this a reward for your little prayer. What you face is a soul from your world. It has been aged and broken down many times over due to the wish they enacted on me. They demanded the secret of life. I told them that all life ends, no matter the length, and thus they wished to be banished from it. A poor choice of words as you can see. He annoyed me a great deal as well so I admit I was a little…vindictive." **

Salem inspected her nails as she spoke. She looked at the skeleton with disinterest.

"Vindictive?" asked Jaune.

To Jaune Salem just ceased to be. He felt her behind him as she trailed her finger up his jaw.

"**Oh yes. He irked me so I cursed his soul. No matter the physical form he takes the shell will slowly but surely erode away. The fool succeeded in his endeavours ages ago, he has just yet to realize that he will never truly succeed. So, worry not my little champion, it is possible for you to defeat such a creature. After all…you already have the tools necessary."**

"Champion" smirked Jaune "I don't remember accepting that title."

Jaune swallowed as Salem stalked him, her small smile growing as she walked to his front and cupped his cheek. Her smile grew showing a small number of teeth. Her eyes pulsated with power and intent.

"**Consider it a promotion of sorts. You've maintained my attention for this long, far longer than most. You at least deserve that much**. **Anyhow, this creature's name is Merlot and he was an Alchemist-"**

"BLUEBEARD!? THIS NUT IS BLUEBEARD!?" yelled Jaune staggering back.

Salem smiled unseen by Jaune. She could feel hatred stemming from the man.

"**I'm shocked your people remembered him." **

"He was the sickest criminal in Atlas history" stated Jaune "he was like a boogey man story because no one found him…now I can see why."

"**Indeed. Good luck my champion. An audience shouldn't interfere with a show, now should they?" **

Jaune felt Salem's presence disappear. He noticed that as time resumed that bits of the world were…dead for lack of a better term. The shadows were larger, the plants dying, and even an animal or two were dead. The presence of a god did not go unnoticed it would seem. He remembered how tired his teammates were when they hit the bottom of those steps. He had always assumed it was the mana pulsating from the building but now…if an illusion was capable of doing that much…than what the hell would a full presence bring? Thoughts for later.

"…This just got personal…Bluebeard"

The skeletons head snapped at Jaune, the eyes glowing vibrantly.

"**DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" **

"You!" growled Jaune "You!"

Bluebeard, also called Merlot. He was by far the sickest most disturbing individual that Atlas as a kingdom had ever produced. Having lived 1,378 years ago to this day Merlot was well known for his obsession with progressing science. Along with his obsession with children. When his crimes were discovered Merlot was hunted down with a zeal bordering on zealotry. The entirety of Remnant society had borne arms against this one man. His crimes of molestation, rape, and various others were so sickening that his legend was passed down as a horror story told to children on the dangers of talking to strangers. He had after all never been captured. Jaune now knew why. He had made a deal with Salem somehow…wait? Jaune heard the ding of the system.

**Within Remnant society lies the seal of Solomon, a gift to your species first "Grand Caster". With it he can summon Salem for three wishes of his choice. The wise King that he was Solomon never used the seal…but he never destroyed it either. Thus, the seal has been used to summon her time and time again.**

Jaune almost ignored system for now. This was…he thought he was angry before….but this? Fire escaped Jaunes mouth as he breathed, flames licked through the openings of his clothing and bare skin.

"I'll kill you!" roared Jaune.

It wasn't the story of old that drove Jaune to yell. Not really. It was the thought of what those poor kids went through in this monsters' hands. Jaune took a breath as he charged forward. Time seem to slow as he made his way through the barrage of magical energy aimed at him. Rushing forward like this was foolish but staying back was equally as dangerous. Jaune drew Kraine's sword from his inventory. Merlot laughed as Jaune approached. Even when Jaune gracefully moved through the barrage Merlot never ceased. Jaune swung his sword and scored a savage hit to the side of Merlot's "skull" but as usual the damage repaired itself. Jaune watched closely and scowled as the cracks in the skull seemed to heal. Unlike before the blow did not send the skull flying. To Jaune that meant Merlot had reinforced his skeleton body before the attack. Jaune jumped as Merlot laughed again, sending a wave of black mana. Jaune felt his left leg go numb as he landed. He turned and coughed in surprised at the sight of his left leg covered in ice.

"**The classes"** screamed Merlot **"THE CLASSES LIMITED OUR POTENTIAL! NOTHING MORE THAN CHAINS THE GODS PLACED UPON US! DON'T YOU SEE THEY WERE AFRAID! AFRAID OF THE POTENTIAL THAT WE HAVE! I HAVE MASTERED WIND AND NOW AT LONG LAST EVEN ICE IS NOW MY DOMAIN!"**

Jaune scoffed. Ice trap…an alchemic circle infused with a liquid of some kind. When Jaune landed the circle exploded and encased his left leg.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" **

FWOOSH!

Merlot stopped laughing as Jaune's entire body ignited into flames. The ice evaporated into nothing and Jaune hit his leg twice to ensure feeling.

"Hmmmm" grumbled Jaune.

Merlot finally remained silent and gestured both skeletal hands at Jaune. On each bare bone was an alchemic circle. For the first time Jaune noticed that the lines within Merlot's bones glowed black with energy.

"So you're dispensing the mana through the materials and into the circle through the grooves of your arm…must have been doing the same thing for wind through your ribs" stated Jaune.

Merlot growled as a glacier of ice shot forward. It was titanic. The sheer size of the glacier was enough to overtake the forest that surrounded them. Jaune idly noted that he saw the building he entered a way away as the ice thundered towards him.

"YOUR BODY IS MINE!" yelled Merlot.

Jaune let a breath out and walked forward unafraid. If Merlot was ice, then Jaune was fire! His entire body erupted into flames and protected him from the ice. The very nature of Jaune's passive let him walk through the ice unimpeded. After all this was no longer a battle between mana. That was the thing with alchemy. If Merlot was a true Cryomancer than Jaune's flames and this ice would be in a conflict over the potency of each of their mana. The fire would melt the ice and the ice would freeze over. A conflict of power. But Merlot was simply an Alchemist invoking a phenomenon. Unlike the wind that required constant mana to invoke this ice was simply created, shot forward and forgotten.

As such it melted with no issue.

"**IMPOSSI-" **

Jaune's fist tore through the last bit of ice and snapped Merlot's head right off its spine. Jaune scowled as Merlot's head returned.

"What does it take!"

Jaune jumped to the side, experience telling him never to remain in one place too long. He scowled as he watched Merlot aim another jet of frost his way. Jaune began to run to the side only to jerkforward in surprise and looked down. A thin needle of ice was protruding through his stomach.

"What?" asked Jaune.

Merlot began to chuckle as they shook their finger at him.

"**Tsk TSk Tsk"** laughed Merlot **"you didn't think that was all I could do, did you? NOW FREEZE OVER!"**

Once more Jaune erupted in flames. Merlot roared in anger, thwarted once more.

"**YOUR FLAMES! HOW CAN A HUMAN USE DRAGON FIRE? DRAGON'S BLOOD DOESN'T DO THAT!"**  
Jaune rose an eyebrow.

"…"

**He's called the idiot Alchemist for a reason**.

"_No kidding"_ thought Jaune _"If I'm using dragon fire than that idiot is definitely using the abyss." _

The sarcasm was real in this instance. Jaune had never seen someone so smart and stupid at the same time. He was like a child thinking they had a "cursed eye" or something. Sure, much like his passive, dragon fire ignited basically anything. But the difference was stark. Jaune produced ACTUAL fire. Dragon's breathed mana that mimicked flames, thus allowing them to burn even sprits and raw mana. Similar but distinct. If Jaune could use dragon fire than Merlot would have been dead ages ago, his spirit subjected to the flames and destroyed. Merlot was protected by his superior strength in magic and so Jaune's own fire was ineffective at the moment.

"**YOU SHOULD BE FROZEN!" **

"JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME KICK YOUR ASS!" yelled Jaune.

"_Who am I kidding"_ thought Jaune _"Merlot has long range attacks and ice magic. The ice is easy enough to deal with but the wind attacks are difficult. Merlot can't muster enough power to actually damage me if I keep moving and attacking…but whatever damage I do just gets healed! What do I have to do at this point? Grind him into….dust….."_

Merlot tilted its head as Jaune's aura changed. His smile turned evil as a small chuckle escaped his mouth. Merlot merely growled and let loose a barrage of ice spears. The pointed crystals attempted to spear through Jaune but Jaune grinned as he let his flames loose once more. Jaune frowned though as he noticed his Mana was dropping steadily. Merlot didn't seem to be running out of mana either, which was a concern. Spirits were well known for having ridiculous mana capacities and the ability to take mana from virtually any source. Merlot was different though…so who knows what kind of tricks he had or didn't.

Jaune got it close again, dodging some of the falling trees. They had moved further into the forested area and leaving the abandoned building. There were large stones spread across this forest, each a remnant of a building long since destroyed. Merlot grew annoyed as Jaune got closer and closer. The wisps of black energy that was intertwined within Merlot's borrowed body erupted.

"**FUCK OFF!"** yelled Merlot.

Jaune just laughed again, digging even further under Merlot's…uh...bones? The torrent of black wind was powerful, deadly even. Yet, Merlot's anger had caused his aim to become skewed. He simply aimed on instinct rather than experience and growled as Jaune finally got close. When was this child going to learn that hitting it wasn't enough!?

YOINK!

"…**..Eh?"** asked Merlot.

Merlot stilled as he watched Jaune jump back several dozen meters. It looked to his right arm and noticed it was missing at the elbow joint.  
**"That…that was it?"** chuckled Merlot **"THAT WAS IT!?" **

The loud insane laughter grated on Jaune's ears but he didn't mind. He'd have his revenge soon enough. Jaune knew his grind skill couldn't just grind things into dust on touch. It grinded things into a perfect edge. But as Jaune had been learning, skills were not entirely as rigid as Merlot believed. So long as you knew how to do it. Unlike heroes and mages Jaune had ample experience using actual tools for his trade and how best to use them in conjunction. Jaune gripped Kraine's sword in his left hand and braced it against his leg. The sword heated up and cooled within a second with a key new feature. Running along the length of the blade were sharp grooves not unlike a fish.

Or a grater.

"**Oh what"** laughed Merlot "**you think your C rank sword can cut my!?" **

Merlot didn't get to finish as Jaune's battle crazed laughter echoed through the field accompanied by a loud screech. Alteration, Structural Analysis, and Grind's skill infused into the sword. The sword vibrated as alteration made the blade's surface move at a high speed while Grind added extra oomph and kept the scales perfectly sharp. Jaune rammed the skeleton's arm into the blade and began to rub it against Kraine's sword over and over again, a demonic glow emanating from his eyes and his laughter echoing around Merlot.

"**NO!"** yelled Merlot **"STOP IT YOU IDIOT SKILLS…DON'T…work that way?" **

Merlot watched in horror as his bones were grinded into bits of dust within seconds. His arm, his hand, and even the fingers. All of it was gone and built a pile at the end. A rush of steam left Jaune's mouth as his crimson eyes bore into Merlot. He grinned and curled his finger at Merlot in a come here gesture.

"**NO! NO SKILLS DON'T WORK THAT WAY! B RANK HEROES CAN'T USE THREE SKILLS** **SIMUTANIOUSLY FOR THAT LONG!? YOU'RE JUST A LABOR CASTE!?" **

Jaune's laughter dropped an octave.

"Exactly" grinned Jaune.

He dashed forward with all his strength, catching Merlot off guard by launching himself at him. Jaune gripped Merlot's lower Jaune, his sword at his side still twisting at the surface.

**WARNING! PLAYER AT 48% MANA!**

"I'm just a labor caste!"

With a twist Jaune ripped Merlot's jaw apart and slammed it into his sword, the metal screeching against the bone. Merlot yelled in annoyance. Jaune chuckled as the spirit tried to talk but couldn't…it seemed that the state of the body and spirit were more intertwined than he though.

Good.

"**Gar…GHar…" **

Jaune smiled as he slammed Merlot's skull into the ground. The ground beneath Merlot began to darken as his mana seeped from his being.

"You can't leave this shell can you?" asked Jaune "you would have abandoned it in a moment if you could".

In Jaune's experience spirits were fragile if you could hurt their core. Merlot grinned in its mind, unafraid of Jaune's ability to harm it. Pain was temporary after all. Merlot twitched as Jaune took his legs, savagely pushing them through Kraine's sword at high speeds.

**WARNING! PLAYER IS NOW AT 29% MANA.**

CRACK!

Jaune scowled as Kraine's sword began to crack. No matter Jaune's skill as a craftmans, Kraine's sword was still only C rank. The constant shifting of its now scaled surface was bound to wear at its durability. Jaune didn't care though. Merlot had shown concern…which meant that destroying his body was a weak point. As Merlot continued to struggle Jaune brought forth Gae Bolg.

Merlot's movements ceased. Every inch of its being screamed in terror at the weapon. It meant only one thing. It could harm spiritual existences. Merlot's body was indestructible or at least it was. No matter the damage done to it Merlot would survive. Even if his head was grinded away by Jaune's sword it would merely put him back a tad. He couldn't remain in the physical world, true, but so long as Merlot was on the ground…he had options. But that spear changed everything. If it could damage Merlot's spiritual body even a little…than Merlot's entire existence would change. Even more memories would be lost, skills would be gone, and perhaps even his entire sense of self. Damage to the soul was a devastating injury that couldn't be healed normally. Merlot doubted any god and their priests would assist him. Merlot focused his energy as Jaune's spear was raised. As the spear was driven through Merlot's skull, his skeletal body disassembled, the mana no longer presents to keep it together. Jaune took a breath as he carefully removed his spear from the skull. The poor man this used to be had his body desecrated enough in Jaune's opinion.

"…"

Jaune narrowed his eyes at the pool of black that was beneath Merlot. Shadows from the trees and surrounding area was converging on Merlot's abandoned body.

"What th-"

SMACK!

A huge meaty fist erupted from the darkness and smashed into Jaune's unsuspecting form. He was sent hurtling through the trees before slamming into a rock formation. Jaune coughed up a bit of blood as he had bit his mouth when he landed. Jaune grimaced as his right arm broke on impact.

**THE PLAYER IS CURRENTLY AT 1842**

**THE PLAYER HAS SUFFERED A CRITICAL HIT AND HAS BROKEN THEIR RIGHT ARM!**

Jaune grunted as his arm refused to cooperate. His arm felt like hot needles were running through it.

Every attempt to move it came with a searing pain. Jaune felt something lumbering its way here…could

it be a summon of some sort? Jaune wasn't entirely sure but now wasn't the time to remain idle.

"_Come on"_ thought Jaune _"come on!" _

His arm twitched upwards as the pain increased. His legs were still whole thankfully and he began to

stand up but he faltered as his vision spun. The system was pinging something fierce but Jaune ignored

it.

"_Alright…something big was summoned up…summons cannot remain without the summoners _

_mana…which means that Merlot isn't dead but hiding…" _

Jaune thought back to the letter and breathed a sigh of annoyance.

"He's a body jumper" growled Jaune.

It was the only thing that made the most sense. Merlot couldn't have used a single skeleton all this time. It had literally been hundreds of years since the mad man disappeared. Any skeleton open to the elements like that would eventually just wither away. It wasn't as if mana preserved everything forever. Not to mention that Salem had cursed the asshole. But sprits needed mediums, they couldn't exist in the physical plain without one. It was a solid rule in remnant…one that made spirits like Merlot so damn rare. Jaune was still wondering how Merlot even got to stay in the physical plane in the first place. The guy's body was never found which meant wherever he did his stupid experiment and summoned Salem was isolated. So how did he get a body if he was likely alone? There was something else that Merlot had, probably an ace in the hole. It was normal for spirits to jump from body to body but it was a process that took a while. Not to mention that the spirits were not the souls of the deceased but literal monsters. If Merlot could just jump bodies…why was he worried about a body being destroyed.

"Something else to worry about" grumbled Jaune.

The lumbering increased but it was still a way off. He could probably run away. Yet, the battle lust just made Jaune grin again. The lack of fear for his own life making the battle even more fun. Jaune felt blood trail down his forehead and down over his left eye. His vision was a little blurring, his head spinning. Jaune was steadily getting clearer though.

"_Got to adjust the arm first"_ he thought _"bandage it or something…but with what?"_

Jaune didn't have the time to just jerry rig a bandage. His arm was broken and he didn't have the time to just attempt at tearing his armors clothe. Jaune felt something soft brush past his arm.

"Hmm?"

CRACK!

Jaune cringed as something tightened around his arm. It coiled quickly and tightened even further into place. The system's pinging was incessant so Jaune finally looked. The window opened with a blaring red rather than a blue.

**WARNING! UNUSUAL ACTIVITY WITHIN INVENTORY. ITEM FORCING EJECTION. MANA VESTIGE ANALYZED: SHIROU PENDRAGON. **

"NO!" yelled Jaune.

He looked to his right arm and cringed at the sight of a satin red clothe. His father's shroud. In his inventory before his awakening Jaune had always carried one item from each of his parents. This, was his father's. Before Shirou had fallen to the sleep he had given his son the shroud he wore at his waist. Worried about the damage it might accumulate Jaune had hidden it away within his inventory, bringing it out only when he couldn't see his father. The clothe almost had a mind of its own, wrapping around Jaune's arm and tightening it back into place with a crunch. Jaune always had minimum information with this thing…but perhaps now would be different?

INSPECT!

**The Shroud of Martin (Rank: B)**

**The shroud of a saint that has seen battle. It grants the wearer a resistance to curses and hexes while giving a minor (C) boost to constitution. ADDITONAL: This is a shroud worn by the Player's father. The mana within has saturated from decades of use resulted in a vestige of Shirou to lie within. This mana is reacting to the player! The mana within has soothed the player's pain! This item has 0 healing capabilities. **

He knew his father wasn't the average blacksmith. He went with his mother during raids after all. But the fact he was wearing it now did not sit well with Jaune. This was the only thing of his father that he had left. Shirou may not have been dead but that didn't mean that this shroud wasn't precious. He attempted to remove it, soothing his pain be damned. Yet the damn thing just tightened even further, unwilling to give Jaune the leverage to begin unravelling it. It covered every inch of skin all the way up to his shoulder. To Jaune's surprise he could move his arm and fingers like normal…even if it hurt like a bitch.

"…."

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

"**THERE YOU ARE!" **

Jaune scowled as he stared at the creature…no at Merlot. Unlike his skeletal body this was a living creature…or at least one that didn't decay much. It was an ogre, standing at 12 feet tall and built like a tree at six feet wide. The head was like a pig with eyes that were pitch black. It had arms like a man yet its legs were hooved and built like a pigs. The body was bulky but fat. The arms were well muscled along with a few scars. Merlot kept chuckling as they stared at Jaune.

"**Thought you could run away?" **

Jaune was a little creeped out by the fact the ogre's mouth didn't move…he would admit that much. He noticed that around the black eyes the skin was beginning to peel off. So it wasn't that the body wasn't decaying…but simply that the body was in the early stages.

"**You like this one?"** asked Merlot **"I took it a while ago and decided to store it away until I needed it…thanks to you I have to look for another mana rich skeleton! You know how hard it is to find those! Took me this entire world before I found it! I may have destroyed a few leylines but what does it matter…I don't plan to stay! Soon the world will remember Merlot! You got here through a gate…so tell me where it is and I'll let you live!" **

Jaune wanted to really hit his head against the floor. He really did. It seemed that Merlot, for all his intelligence was still incredibly stupid. The man had spent the entirety of the time Jaune had spent with him telling Jaune that he was Merlot's perfect body. So why on remnant would Jaune believe such a bold-faced lie? The splintered soul thing must be wrecking more havoc on the guy than he thought. Merlot growled in irritation at the grin that showed on Jaune's face.

"**What are you smiling about! STOP THAT!" **

"You and me both know that Ogre's are powerful creatures" smiled Jaune "their skin and bones are highly resistant to magic. You probably took over its body in hopes that its magically resistant existence would stifle Salem's curse."

"**How did? I never told you!?" **

"You can't use magic in that body can you?" smirked Jaune.

"**URK!"**

Jaune grinned.

"Finally…I CAN HIT YOU!"

Jaune charged forward and punched Merlot in the face as hard as he could. There was two reasons for such a frontal assault. The first was obviously to hit the damn thing. The second…was to test a hypothesis.

"_That dark puddle…it is obviously connected to Merlot in some fashion. I got to figure out how and why…could it be that Merlot recreated the inventory system?" _

Would explain why the ogre came from the puddle. Inventory could be invoked anywhere anytime…but if Merlot was no longer connected to the class system than he probably didn't have access to the inventory system either. Yet…the darkness pooled around Merlot's fallen form over time. Jaune had watched only a few shadows within a 4-foot radius pool together. Spirits were not connected to the physical plane. In the rare case of deceased souls they were not on the other side either. The abyss existed between this world and others…was it possible that Merlot was storing things in there?

"**BRAT!" **

Jaune side stepped the slow punch and clicked his tongue.

"…you stored this body in the abyss didn't you? You lost your inventory system when you died…so that was the only way. You don't like it there do you?"

It was the only thing that made sense. The Abyss was connected to every world, physical and spiritual. It was the space that existed between them and prevented worlds from crashing into each other. Much like the sea its waves embed and flowed. It was believed that when the Abyss receded from a certain space that gates were born. If Merlot was storing his bodies in some…abyssal state than he could simply traverse the are to return home couldn't he?

"**YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SWIMS IN THOSE SEAS….THE MONSTERS I'VE SEEN! THEY WERE….THEY WERE…" **

The man whimpered as he stated his last word.

"**Beautiful!" **

Jaune shivered as he watched the Ogre coo. It was weird.

"**LIKE TRUE KINGS THEY LET NONE STEP INTO THEIR TERRITORY! IT IS THEY THAT RULE! NOT SALEM! ONE DAY THEY'RE GLORIOUS FLESH WILL BE MINE!...NO….NO THAT'S NOT RIGHT! I WANT TO LIVE NOT BE DROWNED!?" **

Jaune's eye twitched. It was more believable that Salem ordered the creatures to kill Merlot's soul rather than them being stronger than Salem. Why else give him the time of day other wise?

"You really are broken aren't you?" whispered Jaune.

A part of him felt pity. A bigger part felt vindication. Jaune rushed in for another bout. He used his left arm to hit Merlot in his knee joint. Merlot screamed in agony as the bone went a twisted direction. It was painful…which meant that Merlot's health must suck.

"You feel all of this don't you" growled Jaune.

Jaune jumped up, ramming his right knee into Merlot's exposed chin. Nothing broke but Jaune felt the Ogre's jaw rattle. Merlot staggered back.

"_GOT HIM!"_ thought Jaune.

Yet, as he charged forward once again Jaune was struck by a wayward smack from Merlot. Jaune tumbled through the forests again as he was sent flying. Jaune coughed as he slammed into a tree. He grimaced as he shook his head. Thankfully the damage was minimal…but still the fact that Merlot could hit him so hard with an unfocused blow was concerning.

"_Don't rush…don't let the fight rush to your head"_ thought Jaune.

The savage grin remained but Jaune heard Merlot complaining as he charged forward again.

"WHY DON'T YOU STOP!" yelled Merlot "I'M STRONGER THAN YOU!?"

Jaune dodged a big haymaker and ran up Merlot's arm. His right arm was aching too much to focus well so Jaune soccer kicked Merlot in the face sending Merlot's ogre head back.

"**IT HURTS!"** yelled Merlot.

"Should have stayed a skeleton!" chuckle Jaune "you're in my territory now!"

Rather than aim for the head Jaune landed and went for body shots. Every few blows sent Merlot staggering back. But Jaune didn't go through this unscathed. Staying close to Merlot prevented the man from hitting Jaune with heavy attacks. Yet, while mitigated a great deal, the small blows Merlot dealt were still piling damage. Jaune felt his left eye close from swelling and a bit of blood begin to drip from his mouth. His shoulders ache…and he was pretty sure a rib was broken. But even so Jaune kept attacking.

**ALERT!**

**CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN MET! DRAGON HIDE NOW MITIGATES AN ADDITIONAL 1.5% OF DAMAGE!**

Jaune was getting beat to near death and his resistant to physical damage only went up a percent? Jaune chuckled as Merlot raised both arms. Merlot's overhead attack failed to connect but made Jaune jump back. Through the smoke Merlot rushed on all fours his endless pits for eyes leaking shadowy energy. Jaune spat his into Merlot's face as he neared, causing Merlot's eyes to spark and shut. Ogre eyes were well known for being resistant to damage. But Jaune was pretty sure foreign liquid in the eyes still friggen hurt.

"**BASTARD!" **

Merlot titled his head in an attempt to stop the burning giving Jaune the opening he needed. Jaune stepped forward and grappled Merlot's head. Jaune gave no resistance as Merlot's momentum carried him forward. Yet, as Jaune's feet reconnected with the ground, Jaune used Merlot's momentum and his own strength to twist Merlot around onto his back. Merlot's head rested above Jaune's right arm. It burned from the pressure and weight but Jaune gritted through. Merlot was about to talk but Jaune was having none of it. His body hurt, his chest burned, and his bloody grin went wider as he lifted his left arm…and rammed his elbow directly into Merlot's large eye. The man screamed from the pain as Jaune kept landing more and more elbow strikes. Merlot's upper body was impressive, but the lower body of an ogre was substantially weaker than their upper body. Once dropped it didn't take much force to keep an ogre down, much like it doesn't take much force to keep an alligator's mouth shut.

"**GRK! GRK! GRK!" **

SLAM. SLAM. SLAM.

Jaune had to conserve his mana. Every single fiber of his being was screaming at him to torch this sick bastard…which was why Jaune knew it was best to keep in it reserve. This entire trip was a big cluster fuck from the start. Jaune had assumed he was a great deal stronger than the dungeon and that assumption got him here broken and bleeding. The fact that he was currently manhandling the miniboss with a flurry of elbow strikes to the face didn't count. Jaune couldn't exert much force from the position but the multitude of blows more than made up for it. Jaune began to feel Merlot's head give way, a cracking sound echoing in the forests amongst Merlot's rabid screaming. In the corner of his eye Jaune saw the shadow of a shrub expand and connect with Merlot's own. Jaune kept an eye on it as he reared back more and hit Merlot's head hard enough to lift his now calved feet off the ground with a hammer fist rather than his elbow. The shadows instantly retreated once a part of Merlot's body left the ground. As Merlot's feet touched the ground the shadows instantly reconnected…and the body went limp.

"…_So there is a cast time for that"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune jumped as far as he could from the now medium sized puddle of shadows. The surface of it rippled as a figure began to protrude from it. Merlot was speaking but Jaune found it hard to focus on him. His lungs burned a bit from his exertion but he was steadily regaining his breath.

"…_So he's using something that connects to the abyss to store his bodies. However, he needs to be connected to the shadows in order to activate the skill or spell that he's using. There's a length of time that he needs to activate it. I have a feeling there's a reason he needs to switch bodies before it expires. With possession it doesn't matter…but if the dark invasion skill is an intrusive and complete as the system states…than when Merlot merges he does so completely…if the body dies than Merlot most lose any connection he has to the physical plane." _

It was necessary for the souls of the deceased to have something that tethers them in order to remain in the physical world. Raw emotion would not create that tether. An angry spirit would not just possess their sword or the body of fallen comrades. It just didn't happen in Remnant. Necromancers were the only class able to interact with and manipulate souls. It was what made them powerful…and what also made them the targets for complete and utter eradication. As such Merlot did not miraculously have a Necromancer waiting in his left wing, considering they've been dead for about as long as recorded history. Whatever Merlot did to himself is what allowed him to tether himself…but it wasn't a permanent solution. His soul was rotting, unable to move on due to Salem's curse, not that the fool wanted to in the first place. That same curse caused whatever physical form Merlot inhabit to rot away and die as well. Merlot was nothing more than a rotting corpse waiting for oblivion…a fate worse than death. Jaune spat out the blood pooling in his mouth and took a deep breath. His ribs were doing better now, his draconic body already putting them back into place. They were tender though…it wouldn't take much to break them all over again.

"_Kind of wished I had mom's healing factor right about now_" thought Jaune.

Alas, Jaune had the factor of a dragon (A+) much like his mother but there were things even he hadn't inherited from her.

"Alright" muttered Jaune "time to focus."

The body that Merlot was summoning up was taking a while to come out. Probably meant that his inventory (Fake) wasn't all that great. It gave Jaune a breather though. Not to mention that Jaune wasn't all too big on touching the darkness of the Abyss. The system had proven it wasn't entirely accurate with some concepts. As such Jaune was not in the mood to test his "Abyss Walker" title.

"Alright" breathed Jaune "let's g-"

Jaune stilled. He was prepared for the fight of his life. He was ready to face whatever monstrosity that Merlot had managed to recruit. But this? This was not something he was prepared for. The shock was almost too much.

Merlot stood before Jaune in all his metallic glory, a suit of armor that once belonged to a knight of old. The armor was stained black with blue cracks spreading through out it. The time in the abyss not having served the armor well.

"There won't be any pain with this!" growled Merlot "I almost got eaten dragging this out! NO MORE MERCY FOR YOU!"

Ignoring that Jaune had completely curb stomped Merlot's supposed "stronger" body, this metallic armor was certainly imposing. Tall and lithe, the armor itself was beautifully made even if its luster was lost to time. Merlot's magic created two golden lights that acted as eyes once more.

"This was my first body" sighed Merlot "after Salem banished me from death this was the only thing I could possess near me! Do you understand the humiliation I felt? The utter travesty of me, ME! Being caught within this…metallic coffin? This body does nothing to impede my souls corrosion…but in return I can move so much more freely!"

Merlot was gone, his body now behind Jaune. Jaune blinked and turned but he wasn't fast enough. Merlot landed a hard strike across Jaune's face, causing the young boy to fall back.

"To resort to fists instead of magic! Only the barbaric resort to such methods!"

Jaune coughed and smirked.

"You're just annoyed cause I beat you in your "stronger" body."

"SILENCE YOU BRAT!"

Merlot disappeared again. A foot connecting to Jaune's stomach.

"_This"_ thought Jaune.

An quick inspect told him all he needed to know.

INSPECT!

**The Armor of Igris! (Rank: A)**

**The armor of a legendary knight whose loyalty was unmatched. This was the armor of a hero whose name echoes through Remnant's history as the knight that ended the tyranny of his king. Their loyalty to the people cementing the reputation of the Knight class even to this day. It's power and abilities have been stripped from it due to its time in the abyss…but even so its noble bearing remains undeterred. **

Jaune eye's began to turn a smoldering crimson as he looked at Merlot charging him again. They burned much like before, his sense of time shifting. H could feel something click into his head as Jaune settled on a plan. He knew this feeling.

**OST UNLOCKED: Two Steps from Hell – Heart of Courage!**

A song…a song with a thundering tune played within Jaune, his eyes staring into Merlot's as the man rushed in with superior speed. Merlot wasn't using the power of Igris's armor. If he was Jaune would have been dead in the first blow. No…it was just that the armor itself was light-weight and empty. Merlot's mana was potent enough to effectively burst his mana over and over again within the armor for extreme bouts of speed, the multiple explosions sending Merlot ahead faster and faster as he moved. Yet, to Jaune's eyes Merlot was briefly visible. He opened his arms wide and stepped to the side.

CLUNK!

"**WHAT!? LET ME GO BRAT! WHAT ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" **

Jaune groaned in pain as he wrapped his left arm around his right and squeezed, trapping Merlot's current form against himself. He grappled against Merlot and lifted the man well off the ground. Jaune's eyes glowed a searing red as he took a breath and focused. He didn't have much mana left…there was no guarantee he could pull this off. Steam escaped Jaune's mouth as he braced himself.

"URK!"

Jaune grunted as Merlot began to rain blows on his back, the metal of the armor digging into his skin and tearing it bit by bit.

"LET! ME! GO!" yelled Merlot.

Jaune ignored Merlot. He ignored the pain. When he saw Merlot's current form he couldn't help but be stupefied. It was impossible. It couldn't be.

Jaune couldn't be that lucky.

"DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO BREAK A RANK ARMOR! PATHETIC CHILD I'LL WEAR YOUR CORPSE IF I HAVE TO!"

Jaune almost buckled, his mind a searing sea of pain. His back, his face, his ribs, and his right arm. A warm feeling hit Jaune's back, a soothing pair of hands placed braced against him.

"_**Fight"**_ she whispered.

The voice of the mother of stars echoed in his mind. His sentiment shared with her. Merlot jerked back as Jaune's strength gained a second win. Merlot than noticed a pair of circuit blue lines slowly going up his body.

"…**.Are….ARE YOU AN IDIOT! STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS DOES NOTHING YOU FOOL! YOUR POWER IS WASTED ON YOU!" **

"Structural Analysis" muttered Jaune, invoking the name of the skill for extra focus.

"**IDIOT!" **

SLAM!  
Jaune coughed a bit, but the power of the sun soothed his wounds, if only marginally. The last time Enya had attacked through him what little of her power she used had left Jaune's insides burning up. The gods would not help here. Not that Jaune wanted them to. Jaune grimaced as he gripped harder, unwilling to allow Merlot any chance of escape.

"Analyzing structure…50%" thought Jaune "…65%"

It was slow…so very slow.

"It must be the ranking" thought Jaune "it's the only explanation."

Skills were powerful, no doubt, but there were restrictions and gaps that could only be learned through experience as Jaune was now fully understanding. He coughed a bit of blood as another strike hit him. Jaune looked up, his grin leaving his face. This wasn't a mindless creature he was fighting. This was a sentient thinking man, broken as he was.

"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE…."

Merlot stilled as Jaune invoked his second skill. Interfacing with the entire armor took time…so it was obvious that his second skill would take some time as well.

"What have you done!?" yelled Merlot "How!? HOW CAN I FEEL MAGIC!? I'M METAL I CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING!?"

By interfacing with every single point of the armor Jaune had effectively closed off any escape for Merlot. His mana burned as it enclosed the armor. Jaune could feel resistance from his second skill, the mana bubbling as it tried to enact it. Was this a skill failure? Either way it didn't matter. Jaune could feel the resistance growing weaker and weaker.

"You!?" Merlot stopped ranting as they looked down. Jaune's eyes were a blazing crimson, his face stone. He glared at Merlot, activating his skill over and over again until it succeeded.

"What are you doing?" demanaded Merlot, his voice subdued "structural analysis doesn't work like this? It can't trap mana!"

Jaune's eyes seemed to peer deeper into Merlot. Merlot felt something grip his entire existence as he recognized that look. It was the look of a man about to kill. It didn't make sense to Merlot how Jaune was using his skills…they…they were restrictive!

"SKILLS ARE THE TRAP OF THE GODS!" yelled Merlot, who renewed his assault "YOU ARE NOTHING BUT THEIR PUPPET!"

Jaune sighed. The blows were hurtful but they did nothing to fully impede him like Merlot's ogre.

"You know" sighed Jaune "you're really annoying. At least get your ramblings straight."

He looked dead into Merlot's eyes, as much as he could with his bruised face.

"DISMANTLE" intoned Jaune.

"Dis-what?"

The section around Merlot's chest was destroyed instantly, the armor slowly but surely eroding away.

"_**I have to jump!" **_thought Merlot.

Merlot stilled as the shadows remained on the ground around his feet.

"What?"

"Arrogant aren't you" sighed Jaune "every skill has limits. Every magic has limits. So long as you don't touch the ground there's no more bodies for you."

"NO!" yelled Merlot.

Merlot swung their right fist, only for it to shatter into specks of blue on contact. Merlot's lower body disintegrated as Jaune stared at him impassively.

"You…you dare kill me!" growled Merlot "I am banished from death fool! I will haunt you! Every waking moment!"

Jaune just stared at him. Merlot fell quiet as Jaune's eyes bore into him. It wasn't that Jaune had killing intent or anything. It was the utter lack of interest in them as more and more of Merlot disappeared. The power of dark invasion was great. A fusion so complete that there was no fight for control over a body. Yet, due to its immense power, the fusion resulted in a weakness. If the body died.

So did the user.

"I resolved myself long ago" muttered Jaune "to free my mother...I'll kill if I have to. You're just a stepping stone."

The helmet was the only thing left as Jaune cupped it.

"One I won't even remember."

Jaune crushed the helmet into blue motes between his hands. Jaune sighed as he dropped to the ground. It was time to rest.

TIME REMAINING: 1 hour and 20 minutes

"….Crap" muttered Jaune.

With that Jaune's eyes grew heavy and sleep over took him. Unbenowst to Jaune was a steady hand running their fingers through his hair, their power lulling him to sleep. The spiritual existance stood as Jaune slept, ensured of his safety.

She had something she needed to do. Something that had been waiting for well over a thousand years.

**-In the void between worlds-**

_Merlot's soul was sent crashing from the physical plane, no physical substance to keep him tied to the world of the living. _

"_FUCKING BRAT!" yelled Merlot "I will…" _

_He turned. In this world the idea of color was non-existent. There was no landmark or plants that could be seen. It was the void, a place that Merlot feared above all else. Yet, within this void was a child. _

"…_.oh ho" smiled Merlot. _

_In his purest essence Merlot looked how he did in life. Wild hair that went against his old age, Merlot's obsessive nature gave him a zealous energy. His wicked smile as he looked at the child grew. He could bide his time after all. Suddenly more and more children surrounded him, each of them from various species and ages. All below the age of ten. Yet, their looks were filled with anger and fear. _

"_I know you" murmured Merlot "…I know all of you?" _

_The children made way for a woman in robe of pure sunlight. Her face was obscured but Merlot knew who this was. _

"_PFFT" laughed Merlot "the mother of stars?" he felt jubilation as he stared at her "oh what are you going to?" _

_He never finished. _

_For Enya's hand was already over his heart. _

"_What?" _

_He could feel it, a burning so intense that he lost all feeling in his chest. _

_Who was he? _

_What was his name? _

_What was happening? _

_Merlot blinked as a small dark green ball was removed from his chest. Enya caressed it to her busom and flicked her wrist at Merlot. His soul was reduced to nothing more than what looked like ashes. His entire immortal existance now consigned to the void, his mind never to return. The green soul in her chest pulsated with life as Enya began the long process of restoring this poor devoured soul. _

"_You have been avenged" smiled Enya "I can lead you to new lives…if you wish?" _

_The children surrounding her smiled as their forms dispersed, their essence collecting into Enya's robe, ready for the journey. _

"_Will he be ok?" _

_Enya smiled, her energy giving the spiritual equivalent of ruffling the child's hair. Her energy surrounded the souls of the children she carried, repairing whatever damage had accumulated. _

"_Oh…I believe he'll be just fine." _

_Enya looked beyond the worlds and focused on a child that had earned her affection so long ago. A spitfire of a boy whose will was unyielding. A stubborn and prideful child. _

"_Just fine indeed." _

_Enya smiled as she reached across and caressed Jaune's hair once more. She wouldn't be able to do this in remnant when he returned. At least not until the festival. _

"_I'll see you soon my son." _

**-With Jaune 32 minutes later-**

"AH!"

Jaune jumped and got into a fighting position as he looked around.

"Still alive" muttered Jaune "that's a plus."

Jaune patted his body down and smiled at his full recovery.

"…Gods I love my passives" he muttered.

He looked around and noticed that the Wyvern he made his pet was looking at him with watery eyes. Its emotions were apparent to Jaune through their link. Jaune smiled as he knelt down.

"Hey, no tears little guy. I'm fine, see?"

The Wyvern sniffled as it jumped up and down. Jaune felt a cute arrow pierce his heart as he stared at the Wyvern, a sense of peace filling his soul.

"_So cute"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune took out the doll from his inventory. He frowned as his good mood left him. He didn't know if he fully destroyed Merlot…but at the least he won't destroy this place anymore. Jaune knelt down and quickly dug a hole. His strength was more than enough to dig through the ground. He placed the doll underneath and buried it. With a few of the sticks around and a bit of alteration Jaune made a wooden plank. Instead of just the child Jaune put a few words on the plank. He made it out to all those that had lost their lives thanks to Merlot. Not all Red gates were filled with monsters. Sometimes they led to worlds that were peaceful and full of trading opportunities. But in this instance…Jaune clasped his hands and prayed to Enya and Salem to guide the souls of those who had lost their way here. Jaune smiled as he felt the sun grow warmer on his back. He didn't feel much from Salem but Jaune knew she was watching. Knowing her she was looking at him wondering what the fuck he was doing.

Jaune sighed.

"I can't believe this whole world was subjected to bluebeard all this time…these poor people."

**ALERT!**

**THE PLAYER HAS COMPLETED A QUEST!**

**Lay to Rest**

**Reward: Miniscule XP**

**THE PLAYER HAS EARNED A DROP:**

**Recipes for Alchemy**

**THE PLAYER HAS LEARNED THE FOLLOWING!**

**The Helmet of Igris (Masterpiece)**

**The Cuirass of Igris (Masterpiece)**

**The Gauntlets of Igris (Masterpiece)**

**The Vambraces of Igris (Masterpiece)**

**The Greaves of Igris (Masterpiece)**

**The player has 25 minutes remaining.**

At least Jaune had gotten something increadible out of this fight. A book of alchemic recipes and a god damn armor set that focused heavily on "KNIGHT" class skills. The knowledge within the designs had shown Jaune how to tether runes to increase the potency of skills and certain actions. More knowledge for the future. More innovation to test out.

"Still have time to kill" smiled Jaune "….maybe…"

Jaune unwrapped the shroud from his right arm. He smiled as he looked at it, remembering the day his father wrapped it around his neck like a scarf. Jaune bit his lip and decided to try something. He hadn't taken it out from his inventory for years. It hurt him too much to even hold it back than…but he was different now. He was stronger than before…Jaune swallowed as he closed his eyes. A small feeling of nausea filled him as an item dropped into his hands. It filled him with a familiar energy…the energy of one Arturia Pendragon.

"_Mother"_ thought Jaune.

Jaune opened his eyes to reveal a hilt of a broken sword. What remained of the blade was a brilliant gold, shattered from near the hilt. The hilt and grip were a combination of blue and gold metal. Even shattered the blade was beautiful.

**INSPECT!**

**The Hilt of Caliburn! The Sword of Kings! (Rank: A)**

**The sword of selection that was created by the incubus Merlin. Once a tool used in hopes of furthering Uther's ambitions the blade rejected his touch. It found a home in the hands of a young Arturia Pendragon and remained at her side for quite some time. It shattered in the stadium of Atlas, it's structural integrity unable to handle the mana of its user. While the power of the sword is incredible the blade itself could not withstand battle for long. It shattered and with it went mankinds hopes for the creation of A rank weapons. Within this fragment lies a vestige of Arturia Pendragon. The Player's mana excites the mana within, allowing it to bubble to the surface above the swords power. **

**The swords abilities were shattered along with the blade. **

"A vestige…the collection of mana left behind by past users" murmured Jaune.

All a vestige did was generate the feeling of the person that wielded it previously. It could take decades to form an imprint and for what? Nothing more than a feeling but sometimes…sometimes that was all you needed. Jaune felt his eyes watered as he got to bask in his mother's mana. Her very presence was near him now and finally after all these years he could truly appreciate what he had left of her without getting sick. Jaune smiled as he put the hilt away yet as he looked through his inventory a small item finally caught his eye. One that he constantly forgot about.

"The boxes!" chuckled Jaune "I didn't have the time to open these yet."

Who was Jaune kidding, he forgot all about them. Jaune grinned as the good fortune box fell into his hands. It was a white box with a blue ribbon the size of his palm.

**Would the Player like to open the "Good Fortune Box"? **

"Yes" grinned Jaune.

The box glowed and through its light Jaune couldn't help but get excited. The good fortune box stated that it would generate something that Jaune wanted. It would it be excellent tools! A super weapon! As the light died down Jaune beheld the…

The cake?

Jaune blinked at the slab of vanilla cake that was now placed into his hands.

**The Player has received "Missing Birthday Cake!" **

Jaune stared at the cake and blinked.

"Are…are you serious?"

This was a cake Jaune had lost so many years ago. An accidental trip that had costed him a well made cake and had broken his than young heart. Jaune just chuckled as he shook his head.

"The box wasn't kidding when it said it generated something I wanted."

Jaune placed the cake in his inventory, ignoring the way the Wyvern stared at it.

"Don't eat it" chuckled Jaune "I doubt something like you would even like it."

The Wyvern flapped its wings and landed on Jaune's shoulder as another box fell into his right hand. This box was black with a red ribbon tied around it.

**Would the Player like to open the "Ill-fortune box"?**

"Sure" sighed Jaune.

The box glowed with an eerie red light and from it came a key. It was made of some kind of metal with a skull on it. Jaune blinked as he inspected it.

**The Key of the Tower Dungeon (Rank: ?)**

**The key that allows a Player to open a gate to the tower dungeon. The tower dungeon is a collection of worlds available for the player to test their might! Grow and fight for loot and power! Be warned, while the tower dungeon lacks the restrictions the punishment zone has, it does not tailor to the player. How many floors can you climb? **

Jaune smiled as he looked at the key. This was another opportunity to get even more diverse set of materials to work with. But…was he ready? The punishment zone had showed just how fubar things could become.

"No" muttered Jaune as he rolled his shoulders "keep moving forward. I need to be more careful but that doesn't mean I stop."

**Time remaining: 1 minute**

Jaune sighed as he felt the magic surround him. It was time. Jaune looked to the sky of this dead world and scowled. This was only a mini boss that he defeated…and he almost died.

"I need to be stronger" grumbled Jaune.

As the glow began to surround him Jaune narrowed his eyes…he could have sworn something was watching him. As he disappeared a small white circle pulsated frequently as a way point for his return. From the trees a humanoid from the trees put away a spy glass and took out a mana crystal.

"Boss…the Lich is dead…no….it disappeared…"

The creature looked at the white circle that was pulsating with magic.

"But it will be back."

**END!**


End file.
